侯 (hóu) is a Chinese character meaning “marquis”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and ㇇ (horizontal-turning stroke) and 一 (one) and 矢 (arrow), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “marquis; nobleman”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亻 + ㇇ + 一 + 矢
Left–right structure
- 亻 person (the form 人 takes on the left) · rén unknown
- ㇇ horizontal-turning stroke unknown
- 一 one · yī unknown
- 矢 arrow · shǐ unknown
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分，笔画 0-1 亻 / 2 ㇇ / 3 一 / 4-8 矢）
Memory aid
A person (亻) stands to one side of the archery range. The hooked stroke (㇇) and the long line (一) are the cloth target hung up on its frame, and an arrow (矢) is already buried in it — shoot like that and the king makes you a marquis.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 王侯wáng hóuprinces and marquises; the titled nobility侯 = hóu
Go deeper
All readings
marquis; nobleman
marquis; a feudal lord ranking below a duke; a nobleman; (as a surname) Hou
古代贵族的爵位之一，泛指有封地的贵族；也用作姓。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 王侯wáng hóuprinces and marquises; the titled nobility侯 = hóu
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 侯 mean?
侯 (hóu) means marquis; a feudal lord ranking below a duke; a nobleman; (as a surname) Hou.
How do you pronounce 侯?
It is pronounced hóu.
What parts is 侯 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and ㇇ (horizontal-turning stroke) and 一 (one) and 矢 (arrow), side by side. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分，笔画 0-1 亻 / 2 ㇇ / 3 一 / 4-8 矢）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 侯 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 侯?
人. 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 侯?
Common ones are 王侯. The reading of 侯 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.