The character 贺 — “congratulate”: how to write it and what it means

贺
hè

congratulate

9 strokes · HSK 4

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

Stroke order: how to write 贺

贺 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 贺, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 贺 is made of

On top, 加 “add”; at the bottom, 贝 “shell, money”: you congratulate with a gift.

The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.

Words with 贺

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 贺?

贺 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 贺 mean?

贺 means “congratulate”. It appears in 祝贺 (“congratulate”).

How do you pronounce 贺?

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

How many strokes does 贺 have?

9 strokes.

← 祝 wish庆 celebrate →

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 贺 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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