和 hé — harmony · English

和

hé

harmony

At a glance · 和

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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。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「和」从口禾声，小篆从口禾声，形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「和」本义为声音相应，引申和谐、温和、和睦。

Structure

从口、禾声，形声字，口表应和声，禾表音，本为唱和、和谐。

At a glance

Pinyinhé

Radical口

Strokes8

UnicodeU+548C

Character type形声

Theme礼乐

Six languages, one character

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

English harmony harmony, peace; peaceful, calm

Français harmonie Harmonie, paix. «上和下睦» : l'harmonie entre haut et bas.

Español armonía Armonía, paz. «上和下睦»: armonía entre alto y bajo.

العربية وئام وئام، سلام. «上和下睦»: الانسجام بين الأعلى والأسفل.

Русский гармония Гармония, мир. «上和下睦»: согласие между верхом и низом.

Common words

和平hé píngpeace
和谐hé xiéharmonious

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