很

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

Han character

很 (radical 60 彳+6, 9 strokes, cangjie input 竹人日女 (HOAV), four-corner 2723₂, composition ⿰彳艮)

References

• KangXi: page 366, character 13
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 10093
• Dae Jaweon: page 687, character 7
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 2, page 822, character 1
• Unihan data for U+5F88

---

Chinese

simp. and trad.		很

Glyph origin

Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *ɡɯːnʔ): semantic 彳 + phonetic 艮 ‎(OC *kɯːns).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): hěn (hen³)

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄣˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): han²
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): hàn
• Min Nan (POJ): hún
• Wu (Wiktionary): hen (T2)

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, Beijing)⁺
    • Pinyin: hěn
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄣˇ
    • Wade-Giles: hên³
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: heen
    • IPA ^(key): /xən²¹⁴/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: han²
    • Yale: hán
    • Cantonese Pinyin: han²
    • IPA ^(key): /hɐn³⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: hàn
    • Hakka Romanization System: hanˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: han²
    • IPA: /han¹¹/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hún
    • Tâi-lô: hún
    • Phofsit Daibuun: huon
    • IPA (Taipei): /hun⁵³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /hun⁵³/
• Wu
  • (Shanghainese)
    • Wiktionary: hen (T2)
    • IPA ^(key): /həɲ³⁴/

---

• Middle Chinese: /ɦən^X/▼

Rime
Character	很
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)
Final (韻)	痕 (53)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	胡墾切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦənX/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦənX/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣənX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦənX/
Li Rong	/ɣənX/
Wang Li	/ɣənX/
Bernard Karlgren	/ɣənX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	hèn

• Old Chinese▼

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɡɯːnʔ/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	很
Reading #	1/1
No.	3937
Phonetic component	艮
Rime group	文
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	很
Old Chinese	/*ɡɯːnʔ/

Definitions

很

1. ^† to disobey; to defy
2. to try to one's utmost
3. ^† Alternative form of 狠 (hěn, “cruel; savage; inhumane”).
4. ^† struggle; dispute
5. very; rather; quite

   他很高興。 / 他很高兴。  ―  Tā hěn gāoxìng.  ―  He is very happy.

   我很喜歡。 / 我很喜欢。  ―  Wǒ hěn xǐhuān.  ―  I like it very much.

   我喜歡得很。 / 我喜欢得很。  ―  Wǒ xǐhuān de hěn.  ―  I like it very much.

6. (when linking a noun and an adjective) to be

   我很餓。 / 我很饿。  ―  Wǒ hěn è.  ―  I am hungry.

Usage notes

• In Chinese, 是 (shì) cannot be used to mean to be if it is followed by an adjective. In those case, 是 is replaced by 很. Depending on the context, it will be translated to is very or simply to to be.

  他很高興。 / 他很高兴。  ―  Tā hěn gāoxìng.  ―  He is (very) happy

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 很 (“very; quite”)
Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical	Classical	甚
Formal	Formal	非常、很、十分、太
Mandarin	Beijing	挺、很
	Taiwan	很、挺
	Tianjin	挺、很
	Jinan	挺、楞
	Xi'an	很
	Wuhan	蠻、很
	Chengdu	很
	Yangzhou	蠻、稀、很
	Hefei	很
Cantonese	Guangzhou	好
	Hong Kong	好
	Taishan	好
	Yangjiang	好
Gan	Nanchang	蠻
Hakka	Meixian	好
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	當、已、還
	Liudui (S. Sixian)	蓋、盡、還
	Hsinchu (Hailu)	當、已、還
	Dongshi (Dabu)	當、已、還
	Taiwanese Raoping	當、已、還
	Yunlin (Zhao'an)	足、真、實在
Jin	Taiyuan	很、挺
Min Bei	Jian'ou	真
Min Dong	Fuzhou	野、真
Min Nan	Quanzhou	真、野、誠
	Xiamen	真、野、誠
	Zhangzhou	盡、蓋
	Taipei	真、誠
	Kaohsiung	有夠、足、真、誠、蓋
	Tainan	有夠、足、真、誠、蓋
	Taichung	誠、蓋、足
	Yilan	有夠、足、誠、盡
	Lukang	真、誠
	Sanxia	真、誠
	Kinmen	足、誠
	Magong	真、誠
	Hsinchu	真、誠
	Malaysia	真、誠、真正
	Chaozhou	過
Wu	Shanghai	蠻、老
	Suzhou	蠻
	Wenzhou	蠻、蒙、顯
Xiang	Changsha	很、蠻
	Shuangfeng	蠻

Compounds

• 傲很
• 很多 (hěnduō)

• 很少 (hěnshǎo)
• 很是

• 得很 (dehěn)
• 鬥很／斗很

---

Japanese

Kanji

很

(uncommon “Hyōgai” kanji)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Readings

• On: こん (kon)
• Kun: もとる (motoru)

---

Korean

Hanja

很 • ‎(heun) (hangeul 흔, revised heun, McCune-Reischauer hŭn, Yale hun)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

---

Vietnamese

Han character

很 (ngận, hẩn)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.