哼 (hēng) is a Chinese character meaning “to hum (a tune)”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 亨 (smooth; prosperous (hēng)), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to hum”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
口 + 亨
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 构形核验 (hanzi-writer-data 笔画分组: 口 3 画 + 亨 7 画 = 10 画；右侧 亨 hēng 为声符)
Memory aid
A mouth (口) making the sound of 亨 (hēng) — hēng is the low hum that comes out when you hum a tune.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 哼唱hēng chàngto hum; to sing softly哼 = hēng
Go deeper
All readings
to hum; to groan
to hum (a tune); to groan; to snort
低声唱或吟；因痛苦等从鼻子里发出声音。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 哼唱hēng chàngto hum; to sing softly哼 = hēng
Rare readings, not taught: hng
Sound component
亨 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 哼 mean?
哼 (hēng) means to hum (a tune); to groan; to snort.
How do you pronounce 哼?
It is pronounced hēng.
What parts is 哼 made of?
口 (mouth) and 亨 (smooth; prosperous (hēng)), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 构形核验 (hanzi-writer-data 笔画分组: 口 3 画 + 亨 7 画 = 10 画；右侧 亨 hēng 为声符). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 哼 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 哼?
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 哼?
Common ones are 哼唱. The reading of 哼 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.