或 (huò) is a Chinese character meaning “or”. It is written from 戈 (dagger-axe (ancient pole weapon); Kangxi radical 62) and 口 (mouth) and 一 (one), one enclosing the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “or; either”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
戈 + 口 + 一
Enclosing structure
- 戈 dagger-axe (ancient pole weapon); Kangxi radical 62 · gē meaning
- 口 mouth · kǒu meaning
- 一 one · yī meaning
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（⿹戈⿱口一），已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：戈 0/5/6/7 + 口 1-3 + 一 4 = 8 画；构件语义参考《说文解字》「或，邦也。从口从戈，以守一。一，地也」
Memory aid
A dagger-axe (戈) stands guard over a mouth (口) on one strip of land (一). Every part here is really in the character. At the border the guard keeps asking: this side, or that one?
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 或者huò zhěor; either或 = huòHSK 3
- 或许huò xǔperhaps; maybe或 = huò
Go deeper
All readings
or
or; either; perhaps; some (people)
连词，表示选择：这个或那个。也表示不肯定的推测。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 或者huò zhěor; either或 = huòHSK 3
- 或许huò xǔperhaps; maybe或 = huò
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 或 mean?
或 (huò) means or; either; perhaps; some (people).
How do you pronounce 或?
It is pronounced huò.
What parts is 或 made of?
戈 (dagger-axe (ancient pole weapon); Kangxi radical 62) and 口 (mouth) and 一 (one), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（⿹戈⿱口一），已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：戈 0/5/6/7 + 口 1-3 + 一 4 = 8 画；构件语义参考《说文解字》「或，邦也。从口从戈，以守一。一，地也」. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 或 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 或?
戈. 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 或?
Common ones are 或者 and 或许. The reading of 或 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.