河
Character learning workspace

hé · river, stream

Master the form, understand its parts, and learn how it behaves in real Chinese.

HSK 2.0 · Level 3HSK 3.0 · Level 3Frequency #2245
Watch · inspect · write

Learn every stroke in 河

Replay the complete order, pause on difficult movements, inspect one stroke at a time, then write it yourself with live correction.

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Stroke graphics: Make Me a Hanzi / Arphic Public License
Step-by-step explorer

See how 河 is constructed

Switch between the accumulated form and the isolated movement of each stroke.

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Character anatomy

Understand the reusable parts

The decomposition shows how the visual pieces fit together, not necessarily the character’s historical origin.

Writing notes

Shape and proportion

8Total strokes

Count each continuous pen movement once, including turns and hooks.

Left-rightCharacter structure

Keep the left side compact and leave enough room for the right side.

氵Key radical

Use the highlighted radical in the animation as a visual anchor for remembering the form.

Print and practise

Download a 河 writing sheet

Get a ready-to-use A4 sheet immediately, or open the full builder to change its grid and guidance.

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Includes the stroke sequence, progressive tracing, and blank writing squares. Generated locally in your browser.

Vocabulary in context

Common words with 河

Open a word for its full breakdown, or listen before reading the meaning.

héWords pronounced hé
Read and listen

Example sentences

Notice where 河 sits in each complete thought.

Nǐ kàn dào nà tiáo hé le ma?你看到那条河了吗?

Have you seen that river?

Source: Tatoeba #3031872 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Tā de fángzi zài hé de lìng yì biān.她的房子在河的另一边。

Her house is across the river.

Source: Tatoeba #472821 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ mí lù de shí hòu, wǒ jiù zài hé biān.我迷路的时候,我就在河边。

It was near the river that I lost my way.

Source: Tatoeba #636219 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Tā de jiā zài hé duì àn.她的家在河对岸。

Her house is across the river.

Source: Tatoeba #1493978 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Hé de shuǐ wèi shàng shēng le.河的水位上升了。

The river's water level has risen.

Source: Tatoeba #8839878 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Zhè tiáo hé lǐ yǒu hěn duō yú.这条河里有很多鱼。

There are plenty of fish in this river.

Source: Tatoeba #8761458 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Turn reference into recall

How to study 河 in context

  1. Say hé, then recall the core meaning: river, stream.
  2. Write all 8 strokes while keeping the left-right balanced.
  3. Use it in 河流 (hé liú), meaning “river”.
  4. Read the complete sentence aloud once, then cover the translation and explain how 河 works in that context.

Definitions and traditional forms are compiled from Make Me a Hanzi, HSK curriculum data, and CC-CEDICT. Sourced example sentences link to Tatoeba; editorial examples are labeled separately. Review data sources and licenses.