How to Write 河 (hé) — Meaning “river”

Imagine three drops of water (氵) flowing past a person who says 'OK' (可) because the river is safe to cross. This connects the water radical with the sound 'hé', which sounds like the beginning of 'her' but with a short e.

Write the water radical 氵 as three slanted dots first, then the right side 可 with the correct order: horizontal, vertical, horizontal turn, horizontal, vertical hook. A common mistake is writing the right side as two separate strokes instead of one smooth horizontal turn stroke.

河 (hé) means 'river', while 汊 (chà) means a branch or fork of a river, as it uses 叉 (fork) instead of 可. 㳄 (xián) is a rare character meaning 'saliva' and contains 欠 (to owe) instead of 可. Visually, the right parts differ: 可, 叉, and 欠.

河 is the general word for 'river' in Chinese, used in place names like 黄河 (Yellow River) and common phrases like 河边 (riverside). The Yellow River is especially important in Chinese culture as the 'cradle of Chinese civilization' and is often called 'Mother River'.

Common words containing 河 include: 河边 (hé biān) — riverside; by the river; 黄河 (huáng hé) — Yellow River; 小河 (xiǎo hé) — small river.