The character 很 — “very”: how to write it and what it means

很
hěn

very

9 strokes · HSK 1 · word page

The Chinese character 很 is read hěn and means “very”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 很

很 has 9 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.

To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 很, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 很?

很 has 9 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.

What does 很 mean?

很 means “very”.

How do you pronounce 很?

很 is read hěn. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 很 have?

9 strokes.

← 吗 question particle呢 particle “and…?” →

More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.

Write 很 yourself

In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.

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