合 (hé) is a Chinese character meaning “to close”. It is written from 人 (person) and 一 (one) and 口 (mouth), and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “to join; to fit”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
人 + 一 + 口
Top–middle–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画逐笔核验（2+1+3=6 笔）
Memory aid
A person (人) leans over a flat line (一) laid across a mouth (口) — a lid dropped onto a jar until it fits. Every part here is really in the character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 合作hé zuòto cooperate; to work together合 = hé
- 合同hé tóngcontract合 = hé
- 合并hé bìngto merge; to combine; to amalgamate合 = hé
- 吻合wěn héto match; to coincide合 = hé
- 合适hé shìsuitable; appropriate; a good fit合 = hé
- 混合hùn héto mix; to blend; mixed合 = hé
- 符合fú héto accord with; to conform to合 = hé
- 综合zōng héto synthesize; comprehensive; overall合 = hé
- 配合pèi héto cooperate; to coordinate合 = hé
- 铝合金lǚ hé jīnaluminium alloy合 = hé
Go deeper
All readings
to join; to fit
to close; to join together; to fit; to suit; combined; whole
闭合；把分开的合到一起；相符、适宜。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 合作hé zuòto cooperate; to work together合 = hé
- 合同hé tóngcontract合 = hé
- 合并hé bìngto merge; to combine; to amalgamate合 = hé
- 吻合wěn héto match; to coincide合 = hé
- 合适hé shìsuitable; appropriate; a good fit合 = hé
- 混合hùn héto mix; to blend; mixed合 = hé
- 符合fú héto accord with; to conform to合 = hé
- 综合zōng héto synthesize; comprehensive; overall合 = hé
- 配合pèi héto cooperate; to coordinate合 = hé
- 铝合金lǚ hé jīnaluminium alloy合 = hé
Rare readings, not taught: gě
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 合 mean?
合 (hé) means to close; to join together; to fit; to suit; combined; whole.
How do you pronounce 合?
It is pronounced hé.
What parts is 合 made of?
人 (person) and 一 (one) and 口 (mouth). The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画逐笔核验（2+1+3=6 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 合 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 合?
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 合?
Common ones are 合作 and 合同. The reading of 合 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.