好 hǎo — good · English

好

hǎo

good

At a glance · 好

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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.

「好」从女从子，甲骨文象女子抱子，会美善之意。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「好」本义为美好、貌美，引申喜好、友好。

Structure

从女、从子，会意字，女抱子为美善，本为美好、喜爱。

At a glance

Pinyinhǎo

Radical女

Strokes6

UnicodeU+597D

Character type会意

Theme德行

Six languages, one character

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

English good good, excellent, fine; well

Français bon / aimer Bon, aimer. «好爵自縻» : un bon fief (honneurs).

Español bueno / amar Bueno, amar. «好爵自縻»: un buen feudo (honores).

العربية جيد / يحبّ جيد، يحبّ. «好爵自縻»: منصب حسن (شرف).

Русский хороший / любить Хороший, любить. «好爵自縻»: хороший титул (почести).

Common words

好处hǎo chùbenefit
爱好ài hàohobby

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