活
活 (huó) means “to live”. It is made of 氵 + 舌 and has 9 strokes, and is an HSK 4 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 活 into its parts
What 活 is made of
- 氵 shuǐ — water
- 舌 shé — tongue
- 千 qiān — thousand
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 十 — ten
- 口 kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 千 qiān — thousand
Origin hint: 氵 gives the meaning, 舌 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
活 stroke order
Example sentences
这条鱼还活着。Zhè tiáo yú hái huó zhe.This fish is still alive.
我爷爷活到九十岁。Wǒ yéye huó dào jiǔshí suì.My grandfather lived to ninety.
Words with 活
- 干活儿gànhuórto work
- 活动huódòngactivity
- 生活shēnghuólife
- 活泼huópolively
- 活跃huóyuèlively
- 灵活línghuóflexible
- 复活fùhuóto come back to life
- 活该huógāiit serves sb right
- 活力huólìenergy
- 快活kuàihuohappy
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 | huó |
|---|---|
| Meaning | to live; alive; work |
| Strokes | 9 |
| Radical | 水 (water, #85) |
| Pattern | Left–right |
| HSK | HSK 4 (exam 2025) · HSK 3 (2021) |
Questions about 活
What does 活 mean?
活 (huó) means “to live; alive; work”.
How many strokes does 活 have?
活 has 9 strokes.
What is the radical of 活?
The radical of 活 is 水 (shuǐ, “water”), Kangxi radical number 85.
What parts make up 活?
活 is made of 氵 (water) and 舌 (tongue).
Which HSK level is 活?
活 is in HSK 4 (exam 2025) and HSK 3 (2021).
Learn 活 with its group
It is part of HSK 3 (2021) · Group 16: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.