河
河 (hé) means “river”. It is made of 氵 + 可 and has 8 strokes, and is an HSK 3 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 河 into its parts
What 河 is made of
- 氵 shuǐ — water
- 可 kě — may
- 丁 dīng — male adult
- 口 kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 一 — horizontal stroke
Origin hint: 氵 gives the meaning, 可 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
河 stroke order
Example sentences
河里有很多鱼。Hé lǐ yǒu hěn duō yú.There are many fish in the river.
我家旁边有一条河。Wǒ jiā pángbiān yǒu yī tiáo hé.There is a river next to my home.
Words with 河
Also built with 氵
- 汁zhījuice
- 汇huìto send (money)
- 汉hànHan
- 汗hànsweat
- 江jiāngriver
- 池chípool
- 污wūfilthy
- 汤tāngsoup
- 汰tàito eliminate
- 汹xiōngturbulent
- 汽qìsteam
- 沃wòto water
Quick facts
| Pinyin | hé |
|---|---|
| Meaning | river |
| Strokes | 8 |
| Radical | 水 (water, #85) |
| Pattern | Left–right |
| HSK | HSK 3 (exam 2025) · HSK 2 (2021) |
Questions about 河
What does 河 mean?
河 (hé) means “river”.
How many strokes does 河 have?
河 has 8 strokes.
What is the radical of 河?
The radical of 河 is 水 (shuǐ, “water”), Kangxi radical number 85.
What parts make up 河?
河 is made of 氵 (water) and 可 (may).
Which HSK level is 河?
河 is in HSK 3 (exam 2025) and HSK 2 (2021).
Learn 河 with its group
It is part of HSK 2 (2021) · Group 66: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.