口 kǒu — mouth; opening · English

口

kǒu

mouth; opening

At a glance · 口

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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.

甲骨文象人嘴之形，本义为嘴，引申为人口、关口。小篆作「口」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为嘴，引申为出入口、人。

Structure

象形字，甲骨文象口形。

At a glance

Pinyinkǒu

Radical口

Strokes3

UnicodeU+53E3

Character type象形

Theme人体

Six languages, one character

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

English mouth; opening The mouth; also an opening or entrance.

Français bouche; ouverture La bouche ; aussi une ouverture.

Español boca; abertura La boca ; también una abertura.

العربية فم؛ فتحة الفم؛ ويُستعار للفتحة.

Русский рот; отверстие Рот; также отверстие.

Common words

口kǒumouth
门口mén kǒudoorway

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