许 (xǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “to allow”. It is written from 讠 (speech radical) and 午 (noon), side by side, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “to allow; to permit”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
讠 + 午
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 許，聽也。从言午聲
Memory aid
Speech (讠) plus noon (午): at noon you go and ask, and the words you get back are permission — 午 is here for its sound, not its meaning.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 允许yǔn xǔto allow; to permit许 = xǔspoken asyún xǔ
- 也许yě xǔmaybe; perhaps许 = xǔspoken asyé xǔ
- 或许huò xǔperhaps; maybe许 = xǔ
Go deeper
All readings
to allow
to allow; to permit; to promise; perhaps; somewhat
准许；答应。也表示可能、或许，或表示程度上「稍微」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 允许yǔn xǔto allow; to permit许 = xǔspoken asyún xǔ
- 也许yě xǔmaybe; perhaps许 = xǔspoken asyé xǔ
- 或许huò xǔperhaps; maybe许 = xǔ
Rare readings, not taught: hǔ
Sound component
午 family onset shift
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 许 mean?
许 (xǔ) means to allow; to permit; to promise; perhaps; somewhat.
How do you pronounce 许?
It is pronounced xǔ.
What parts is 许 made of?
讠 (speech radical) and 午 (noon), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 許，聽也。从言午聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 许 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 许?
讠. 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 许?
Common ones are 允许 and 也许. The reading of 许 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.