Chinese character for mouth: 口 (kǒu)
The Chinese character for mouth is 口 (kǒu). It means mouth and also an opening or entrance, as in 出口 (chūkǒu, exit) and 人口 (rénkǒu, population). In speech, the mouth is usually called 嘴 (zuǐ).
How 口 is built
口 is a pictograph of an open mouth, drawn as a square in brush writing. It is one of the most common parts in Chinese characters, marking things to do with speaking, eating and sounds, as in 吃 (to eat), 喝 (to drink), 叫 (to call) and 和 (harmony). It is identical in simplified and traditional Chinese, but do not confuse it with the larger enclosure 囗 seen in 国 (country).
口 kǒu · mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
Origin hint: An open mouth (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
How 口 is used
Other ways to say mouth
- 嘴 zuǐ — mouth, the everyday spoken word
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: 口 alone looks like a simple square, so it is rarely used as a standalone tattoo.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for mouth?
口 (kǒu) means “mouth”.
How do you pronounce 口?
口 is pronounced kǒu.