How to Write 赫 (hè) — Meaning “Illustrious / Grand”

Think of two red (赤) awards or medals side by side — that means someone is doubly famous. This visual of "double red" can help you recall that 赫 means illustrious or renowned.

Both 赤 halves should be the same size and balanced left and right, not squished or stretched. Write the left 赤 first, then the right 赤, and make sure the last stroke of each 赤 (a dot) is placed correctly.

赫 has two 赤 next to each other, while 赭 has 赤 on the left and 者 on the right. Their meanings are different: 赫 means famous or grand, but 赭 (zhě) means a reddish brown color.

You often see 赫 in the idiom 赫赫有名 (hè hè yǒu míng) meaning "very famous," and in 显赫 (xiǎn hè) for someone with a great reputation. It is a formal, praiseful character used to describe people or families with high status.

Common words containing 赫 include: 赫赫有名 (hè hè yǒu míng) — Very famous / Renowned; 显赫 (xiǎn hè) — illustrious; celebrated; 赫然 (hè rán) — Strikingly / Suddenly.