盒 (hé) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

盒

hé[he2]Tone 2

small box, case

HSK 5

Guru Deep Dive

English · small box, case

Cached lesson

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Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:9

Writing Balance Rule: The top cover part (人/合 upper section) should crown the structure gracefully, while the bottom container part (口) provides a stable, balanced base without expanding too wide.

1. Meaning

small box, case

containercase or housing

NounNeutral#objects#containers#household items

Sample Usage

这个盒子里装的是什么？
zhège hézi lǐ zhuāng de shì shénme?
What is packed inside this box?
请把饭盒拿过来。
qǐng bǎ fànhé ná guòlái.
Please bring the lunchbox over here.

2. Sound

/[xɤ³⁵]/Tone: 35

盒

héhe2

´(35)

=hé

Initial Consonant

Type: Velar Fricative

Sounds like: h sound like in 'hat'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Gentle throat friction (like fogging glasses on a cold day).

Tongue & Mouth Position: Back of the tongue approaches the soft palate to create friction without completely blocking airflow.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: eh sound as in 'bed' or central schwa-like vowel

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'uh'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T2 (35)

3 → 5 (35)

2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts mid and rises sharply to the top, matching the intonation of an incredulous English question ('What?!').

Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 2, it shifts to a high rising contour similar to Tone 1, though in standard writing it remains marked as Tone 2.

👂

Listening trap: Often confused with hě (Tone 3) or hè (Tone 4) by beginners who fail to capture the smooth upward pitch trajectory.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A rising hand motion moving upward from low to high, exactly like asking a question in English: 'Huh?'

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 9 strokes

4. Components

Radical 口 · Mouth Radical (mouth, opening, container)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 口 (indicates an opening, hollow space, or container)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 合 (original sound: hé)

A lid or cover (represented by the upper component 合 meaning to fit/join together) placed over an opening or container (口 mouth/box).

人 roof or lid cover at the top
一 horizontal dividing line
口 mouth or container base

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

22· Phonetic Root: 合 (gě)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from 合 (to fit together, which also provides the pronunciation) and 口 (mouth/opening), representing a fitted vessel or box with a lid.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred to various fitted containers and bamboo tubes with lids, eventually generalizing to any small box, case, or cartridge.

Ancient Chinese boxes were frequently made of lacquerware, bamboo, or bronze, exquisitely crafted to hold documents, cosmetics, or seals.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You **HE**ar a sound coming from inside the **HE**adphones **BOX** (**hé**). You lift the lid of the box to check.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

合

héto close, to fitBase phonetic component without the bottom mouth container.

给

gěito giveAdds the thread radical (纟) on the left for giving/providing.

恰

qiàexactly, preciselyAdds the heart radical (忄) on the left for emotional fitness or appropriateness.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

合(hé)

合 lacks the bottom 口 (mouth) radical; it means 'to join/fit' rather than the physical 'box' container.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

请把铅笔放进笔[___]里。

Clue: hé

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the character 盒 with its sound-donor part 合, forgetting to include the bottom 口 container radical when writing by hand.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 盒, what does it mean and how is it pronounced?

Production: How do you write the character for a 'small box or case' with pinyin hé?

盒hésmall box, case

Speed:

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