How to Write 候 (hòu) — Meaning “wait / time / season”

Imagine a person (亻) standing still and watching an arrow (矢) fly toward a target (侯) — they are waiting for the arrow to hit. This visual helps you remember that 候 means 'wait' or 'time.'

Be careful with the right part 侯: it has a short horizontal stroke inside the top left, and the middle vertical stroke must connect through the two horizontal lines. A common mistake is to write the right part like 候 without that inner stroke, or to make the person radical too wide.

佩 (pèi) means 'to wear' or 'admire,' and its right side has 巾 (cloth) and 凡, not 侯. 佬 (lǎo) means 'guy' or 'adult man,' and its right side is 老 (old). Only 候 has the meaning of 'wait' or 'time' because of its 侯 component.

候 appears in common words like 时候 (time), 等候 (to wait), and 问候 (to greet). In Chinese culture, 问候 is used for polite greetings in letters or formal conversations, showing respect by 'inquiring after' someone's well-being.

Common words containing 候 include: 时候 (shí hòu) — time; moment; 等候 (děng hòu) — To wait; to await; 问候 (wèn hòu) — to greet / greetings.