How to Write 荷 (hé) — Meaning “Lotus”

Imagine a lotus flower (艹) growing out of a pond while a person (亻) carries it in a pouch (可 suggests carrying). The person says 'hé' as they lift the lotus, linking the sound and shape.

Write the grass radical 艹 first with strokes: horizontal, vertical, vertical, horizontal. Then below, write 何: first the person radical 亻, then 可 (horizontal, vertical, horizontal, vertical, horizontal hook). A common mistake is making the 艹 too wide or forgetting that the bottom of 何 must align under the center.

荷 has 何 underneath and means 'lotus.' 兹 has 玄 (dark thread) underneath and means 'now' or 'grow.' 苑 has 夗 (bent person) underneath and means 'garden' or 'enclosure.' Visually, the bottom components are completely different: 何 vs. 玄 vs. 夗.

荷 appears in common words like 荷花 (lotus flower), 荷兰 (The Netherlands), and 荷包 (pouch or wallet). In Chinese culture, the lotus symbolizes purity and perfection, often appearing in art and poetry, so 荷 carries a positive, elegant feeling.

Common words containing 荷 include: 荷花 (hé huā) — Lotus flower; 荷兰 (hé lán) — The Netherlands; 荷包 (hé bāo) — Pouch or wallet.