乎 (hū) is a Chinese character meaning “Classical particle: marks a question or exclamation at the”. It is written from 丿 (left-falling stroke) and 丷 (two spreading strokes) and 一 (one) and 亅 (vertical hook), and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “almost — the 乎 in 几乎”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
丿 + 丷 + 一 + 亅
Overlapping structure
- 丿 left-falling stroke unknown
- 丷 two spreading strokes unknown
- 一 one · yī unknown
- 亅 vertical hook unknown
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分，非字源）
Memory aid
A leaning stroke 丿 on top, two small flicks 丷 under it, one long 一 stretched across, and a hook 亅 dropping straight through — a breath drawn out and then hooked upward at the end, the way a question hangs in the air.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 几乎jī hūalmost; nearly乎 = hū
- 似乎sì hūit seems; as if乎 = hū
Go deeper
All readings
(particle) in; at; than; question marker
Classical particle: marks a question or exclamation at the end of a sentence, or works like 于 (in, at, than). In modern Chinese it mostly survives inside two-syllable words such as 几乎 and 似乎.
文言虚词。用在句末表示疑问或感叹，也作介词，相当于「于」；现代汉语中主要作为双音节词的构词成分。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 几乎jī hūalmost; nearly乎 = hū
- 似乎sì hūit seems; as if乎 = hū
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 乎 mean?
乎 (hū) means Classical particle: marks a question or exclamation at the end of a sentence, or works like 于 (in, at, than). In modern Chinese it mostly survives inside two-syllable words such as 几乎 and 似乎..
How do you pronounce 乎?
It is pronounced hū.
What parts is 乎 made of?
丿 (left-falling stroke) and 丷 (two spreading strokes) and 一 (one) and 亅 (vertical hook). The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分，非字源）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 乎 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 乎?
丿. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 乎?
Common ones are 几乎 and 似乎. The reading of 乎 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.