How to Write 阂 (hé) — Meaning “Obstruction; barrier”

Imagine a gate (门) with a pig (亥) stuck inside, blocking the way. The pig creates an obstruction, and the character's meaning of "barrier" becomes easy to recall. This visual of a stuck animal helps link the components to the meaning.

Start with the radical 门 (3 strokes: dot, vertical, hook), then write 亥 (6 strokes: dot, horizontal left-falling, hook, left-falling, right-falling, dot). A common mistake is forgetting the final dot inside 亥 or making the hook too large, which ruins the balance.

阂 (hé) has 亥 inside and means 'obstruction,' while 闰 (rùn) has 王 (king) inside and means 'leap year.' 闱 (wéi) has 韦 (leather) inside and refers to a side door or exam hall. The inner component changes both pronunciation and meaning entirely.

阂 rarely appears alone; it is most common in the word 隔阂 (gé hé), meaning 'estrangement' or 'barrier' in relationships. For example, friends might have a 隔阂 after a misunderstanding. The character carries a sense of emotional or social obstruction.

Common words containing 阂 include: 隔阂 (gé hé) — barrier; estrangement; 无阂 (wú hé) — Without obstruction / smooth; 阂塞 (hé sāi) — Blocked; obstructed.