The character 合 — “join”: how to write it and what it means
join; fit
The Chinese character 合 is read hé and means “join; fit”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 合
合 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 合, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 合 is made of
The same sign forms the top of 拿 “take, hold”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 合
- 合适suitableHSK 3
- 合格pass, meet the standardHSK 4
- 符合conform to, matchHSK 4
- 适合suit, fit (someone)HSK 4
- 合影group photoHSK 5
- 集合gather, assembleHSK 5
- 合理reasonableHSK 5
- 配合cooperate, coordinateHSK 5
- 合同contractHSK 5
- 合法legalHSK 5
- 合作cooperateHSK 5
- 联合unite; jointHSK 5
- 组合combination; (pop) groupHSK 5
- 综合comprehensive; synthesizeHSK 5
- 结合combine, uniteHSK 5
- 合并merge, combineHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 合?
合 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 合 mean?
合 means “join; fit”. It appears in 合适 (“suitable”), 合格 (“pass”), 符合 (“conform to”), 适合 (“suit”).
How do you pronounce 合?
合 is read hé. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 合 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 合 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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