号 (hào) is a Chinese character meaning “number”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 丂 (obstructed breath (archaic); used as a sound component), one above the other, and takes 5 strokes. It has a second reading, háo, which turns up in 号叫 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “number”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
口 + 丂
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：号，痛聲也。从口在丂上。现代字形经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画分组核验（第 1–3 笔成 口，第 4–5 笔成 丂，共 5 笔）
Memory aid
A mouth (口) sitting on top of 丂, a breath that bends as it is forced out. Both parts really are in this character: a voice pushed out to call out a number.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 号码hào mǎnumber (phone number, room number, etc.)号 = hào
- 信号xìn hàosignal号 = hào
- 号召hào zhàoto call on; to appeal to; a rallying call号 = hào
- 账号zhàng hàoaccount (number); user account号 = hào
- 型号xíng hàomodel number号 = hào
- 括号kuò hàobrackets; parentheses号 = hào
- 挂号guà hàoto register (at a hospital); to send by registered mail号 = hào
- 符号fú hàosymbol; sign; mark号 = hào
- 绰号chuò hàonickname号 = hào
- 逗号dòu hàocomma号 = hào
Go deeper
All readings
number
number; a date of the month; size; name or title; mark, sign
编排的次第数目；日期中的日；型号大小；名称或标记。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 号码hào mǎnumber (phone number, room number, etc.)号 = hào
- 信号xìn hàosignal号 = hào
- 号召hào zhàoto call on; to appeal to; a rallying call号 = hào
- 账号zhàng hàoaccount (number); user account号 = hào
- 型号xíng hàomodel number号 = hào
- 括号kuò hàobrackets; parentheses号 = hào
- 挂号guà hàoto register (at a hospital); to send by registered mail号 = hào
- 符号fú hàosymbol; sign; mark号 = hào
- 绰号chuò hàonickname号 = hào
- 逗号dòu hàocomma号 = hào
to howl
to howl; to wail loudly
大声哭喊；（风、兽）大声鸣叫。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 号叫háo jiàoto howl; to wail号 = háo
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 号 mean?
号 (hào) means number; a date of the month; size; name or title; mark, sign.
How do you pronounce 号?
Its main reading is hào. It also has a second reading, háo, which only shows up in certain words such as 号叫 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 号 sometimes pronounced háo?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 号叫 it is read háo.
What parts is 号 made of?
口 (mouth) and 丂 (obstructed breath (archaic); used as a sound component), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：号，痛聲也。从口在丂上。现代字形经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画分组核验（第 1–3 笔成 口，第 4–5 笔成 丂，共 5 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 号 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 号?
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 号?
Common ones are 号码 and 信号. The reading of 号 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.