荷 (hé) is a Chinese character meaning “lotus”. It is written from 艹 (grass / plant radical) and 何 (what; how (also a surname)), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes. It has a second reading, hè, which turns up in 负荷 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “lotus”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
艹 + 何
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 10 笔核验：艹 3 笔 + 何 7 笔；说文解字：荷，从艸何聲）
Memory aid
Under the grass radical (艹) stands 何. Picture a plant rising above the pond: the lotus. 何 (hé) is also the sound clue — 荷 is read hé too.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 荷花hé huālotus flower荷 = hé
- 荷叶hé yèlotus leaf荷 = hé
Go deeper
All readings
lotus
lotus; water lily (the plant, its leaves and flowers)
莲，多年生水生草本植物，叶大而圆，花粉红或白色。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 荷花hé huālotus flower荷 = hé
- 荷叶hé yèlotus leaf荷 = hé
to carry; load
to carry on the shoulder or back; load, burden
背或扛；也指负担。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 负荷fù hèload; burden (e.g. workload, electrical load)荷 = hè
Sound component
何 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 荷 mean?
荷 (hé) means lotus; water lily (the plant, its leaves and flowers).
How do you pronounce 荷?
Its main reading is hé. It also has a second reading, hè, which only shows up in certain words such as 负荷 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 荷 sometimes pronounced hè?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 负荷 it is read hè.
What parts is 荷 made of?
艹 (grass / plant radical) and 何 (what; how (also a surname)), one above the other. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 10 笔核验：艹 3 笔 + 何 7 笔；说文解字：荷，从艸何聲）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 荷 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 荷?
艸. 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 荷?
Common ones are 荷花 and 荷叶. The reading of 荷 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.