何 hé — what, how · English

何

hé

what, how

At a glance · 何

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

甲骨文、金文象人肩荷物（从人从可省），本为「荷」字。后借为疑问代词「何」。隶楷作「何」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「何」本指负荷，假借为疑问词「什么、怎么」。

Structure

形声字，人（亻）为意符，可为声符；后借为疑问。

At a glance

Pinyinhé

Radical亻

Strokes7

UnicodeU+4F55

Character type形声

Theme虚词

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English what, how What, how (interrogative); originally 'carry'.

Français que, comment Que, comment (interrogatif); à l'origine 'porter'.

Español qué, cómo Qué, cómo (interrogativo); originalmente 'cargar'.

العربية ماذا، كيف أداة استفهام (ماذا/كيف)؛ أصلها يحمل.

Русский что, как Что, как (вопросит.); изначально «нести».

Common words

如何rú héhow
何必hé bìwhy

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