The character 许 — “allow”: how to write it and what it means
allow; maybe
The Chinese character 许 is read xǔ and means “allow; maybe”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 许
许 has 6 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 许, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 许 is made of
On the left, 讠 “speech”; on the right, 午 wǔ “noon” hints at the sound.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 许
- 也许maybeHSK 4
- 许多many, a lotHSK 4
- 允许allow, permitHSK 4
- 或许perhapsHSK 5
- 许可permit; permissionHSK 6
- 不许not allow, forbiddenHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 许?
许 has 6 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 许 mean?
许 means “allow; maybe”. It appears in 也许 (“maybe”), 许多 (“many”), 允许 (“allow”), 或许 (“perhaps”).
How do you pronounce 许?
许 is read xǔ. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 许 have?
6 strokes.
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 许 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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