Hanzi Explorer
Components · Origins · Writing
Character explorer · 拆字

Hanzi breakdown

Explore how a character is built, identify its meaning and sound components, then practise writing it stroke by stroke.

Enter up to eight Chinese characters. Detailed breakdowns cover all 625 characters used in HSK 1–3 here.

河1 / 1
Character breakdownhé / left–right / Meaning + sound
河
hé

Origin clue: water

Strokes

Components

Meaning / left氵shuǐwaterSound / right可kěvigorous
河hé
Structureleft–right
Radical氵water
TypeMeaning + sound

How it works

河 is a meaning-sound compound. 氵 gives the meaning clue (water), while 可 gives a clue to its pronunciation.

Sound family

Common words 1

  • 黄河 HSK 3Huáng HéYellow River; the second-longest river in China