活
Character learning workspace

huó · to exist, to live, to survive

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

HSK 3.0 · Level 4Frequency #556
Watch · inspect · write

Learn every stroke in 活

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 活 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

9Total 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 活 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 活

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

huóWords pronounced huó
huoWords pronounced huo
Read and listen

Example sentences

Notice where 活 sits in each complete thought.

Wǒ bú zài gēn tā yì qǐ shēng huó le.我不再跟他一起生活了。

I'm not living with him anymore.

Source: Tatoeba #1808257 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Tā shì yí gè nǎo zǐ líng huó de rén.他是一个脑子灵活的人。

He is a quick-witted man.

Source: Tatoeba #349552 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Méi yǒu tā wǒ de shēng huó shì kōng xū de.没有他我的生活是空虚的。

My life is hollow without him.

Source: Tatoeba #503208 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ bù xiǎng guò zhè yàng de shēng huó.我不想过这样的生活。

I don't want to live my life like this.

Source: Tatoeba #1220513 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ ài wǒ de shēng huó.我爱我的生活。

I love my life.

Source: Tatoeba #465838 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Xiàn zài nǐ shì wǒ shēng huó de yí bùfen le.现在你是我生活的一部分了。

Now you're part of my life.

Source: Tatoeba #9432341 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Turn reference into recall

How to study 活 in context

  1. Say huó, then recall the core meaning: to exist, to live, to survive.
  2. Write all 9 strokes while keeping the left-right balanced.
  3. Use it in 生活 (shēng huó), meaning “to live”.
  4. Read the complete sentence aloud once, then cover the translation and explain how 活 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.