呵 (hē) is a Chinese character meaning “to breathe out warm air”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 可 (can; may; approve), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to breathe out; to scold”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
口 + 可
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分 ⿰口可，按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数核验（口 3 + 可 5 = 8）
Memory aid
A mouth (口) letting out everything it can (可) — a warm breath, a chuckle, or a shout at someone.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 呵护hē hùto cherish; to take good care of呵 = hē
- 呵呵hē hēhaha (sound of chuckling)呵 = hē
Go deeper
All readings
to breathe out; to scold
to breathe out warm air; to scold loudly; (in 呵呵) the sound of chuckling
张口呼出热气；大声斥责；也用来写笑声。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 呵护hē hùto cherish; to take good care of呵 = hē
- 呵呵hē hēhaha (sound of chuckling)呵 = hē
Sound component
可 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 呵 mean?
呵 (hē) means to breathe out warm air; to scold loudly; (in 呵呵) the sound of chuckling.
How do you pronounce 呵?
It is pronounced hē.
What parts is 呵 made of?
口 (mouth) and 可 (can; may; approve), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分 ⿰口可，按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数核验（口 3 + 可 5 = 8）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 呵 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 呵?
口. 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 呵?
Common ones are 呵护 and 呵呵. The reading of 呵 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.