很
很 (hěn) means “very”. It is made of 彳 + 艮 and has 9 strokes, and is an HSK 1 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 很 into its parts
What 很 is made of
- 彳 chì — to step with the left foot
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 艮 gěn — blunt
Origin hint: 彳 gives the meaning, 艮 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
很 stroke order
Example sentences
今天很冷。Jīntiān hěn lěng.It's very cold today.
这个字很难写。Zhège zì hěn nán xiě.This character is very hard to write.
Also built with 彳
- 役yìservant
- 彻chèpenetrating
- 彼bǐthat
- 往wǎngtowards
- 征zhēngto summon
- 径jìngpath
- 待dāito stay
- 徊huáito linger
- 律lǜstatute
- 徒túdisciple
- 得déto get
- 徘páito dither
Quick facts
| Pinyin | hěn |
|---|---|
| Meaning | very |
| Strokes | 9 |
| Radical | 彳 (step, #60) |
| Pattern | Left–right |
| HSK | HSK 1 (exam 2025) · HSK 1 (2021) · Old HSK 1 |
Questions about 很
What does 很 mean?
很 (hěn) means “very”.
How many strokes does 很 have?
很 has 9 strokes.
What is the radical of 很?
The radical of 很 is 彳 (chì, “step”), Kangxi radical number 60.
What parts make up 很?
很 is made of 彳 (to step with the left foot) and 艮 (blunt).
Which HSK level is 很?
很 is in HSK 1 (exam 2025) and HSK 1 (2021) and Old HSK 1.
Learn 很 with its group
It is part of HSK 1 (2021) · Group 50: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.