How to Write 呵 (hē) — Meaning “to breathe out / to scold / oh”

Picture someone breathing out warm air onto a window and saying "he" while pointing to the word 可 (kě) written on the glass. The mouth radical 口 reminds you it involves the mouth, and 可 sounds like the beginning of "hē."

Write the left radical 口 first as a small, narrow box, then the right part 可. The top horizontal of 可 should be slightly above the middle of 口, and the vertical stroke goes through the bottom of the 口 inside 可. Common mistakes include making 口 too large or forgetting the hook at the end of 可's vertical stroke.

呵 has the right part 可 (kě), 吁 has 于 (yú), and 吂 has 亡 (wáng). Visually, 可 has a small 口 inside, while 于 is simpler and 亡 has a diagonal. In usage, 呵 is for laughter or scolding, 吁 means "shush" or sigh, and 吂 is rare, often meaning "to say" in old texts.

呵 appears most often in the word 呵呵 (hē hē), which is a common laughing sound in text messages, similar to "haha" but can sound sarcastic if overused. It also means to breathe on something (呵气) or to scold (呵斥). In online chats, 呵呵 is sometimes seen as dismissive, so use it carefully.

Common words containing 呵 include: 呵呵 (hē hē) — haha (laughing sound); 呵 (hē) — to breathe out / to scold / oh; 呵气 (hē qì) — to breathe on (something).