候(hòu)

HSK 110 strokes

to wait

Print a 候 worksheet PDFPractice writing 候

Stroke order animation

Character information

Pinyin
hòu
Meaning
to wait; to inquire after; to watch; season; climate; (old) period of five days
Strokes
10
HSK level
HSK 1
Traditional
Same

Origin & structure

Where 候 comes from and how its parts fit together.

Phonetic-semantic compound⿰亻矦

In this compound, the meaning comes from 亻 (person); 矦 supplies the sound.

One part carries the meaning, the other suggests the sound.

Made of

亻rén矦hóu

Parts are arranged left to right.

How to write 候 step by step

10 strokes — each frame adds one stroke, shown in dark ink over the lighter ones.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10

Words with 候

Common words using 候 — tap any character to open its stroke-order page.

shí时hòu候
HSK 1

time

Open 时候 page →
yǒu有shí时hòu候
HSK 1

sometimes

Open 有时候 page →
xiǎo小shí时hòu候
HSK 2

in one's childhood

Open 小时候 page →
nà那shí时hòu候
HSK 2

at that time

Open 那时候 page →
qì气hòu候
HSK 3

(meteorology) climate

Open 气候 page →
wèn问hòu候
HSK 4

to give one's respects

Open 问候 page →
děng等hòu候
HSK 5

to wait

Open 等候 page →
cì伺hou候
HSK 7-9

to serve; to wait upon

Open 伺候 page →

Related characters

More HSK 1 characters

一七三上下不东两

From 候’s common words

时有小那气问等伺

Ready to master 候?

Trace 候 stroke by stroke in the online practice tool, or turn it into a printable worksheet PDF with Tianzige practice grids, pinyin, and stroke-order breakdowns.

Practice 候 onlineGenerate worksheet PDFBrowse all of HSK 1 →