Character: 口 (kǒu) mouth

口 (kǒu) means mouth, the character is visualized as a wide open mouth
Pinyin kǒu
Meaning mouth; opening; spoken; classifier for things with mouths; classifier for bites
Radical 口 繁體字 same
n/a
Chinese character pictographcategory: pictograph

Chinese character single structurestructure: single

3stroke count

HSK 3

Chinese character 口 (kǒu) mouth stroke order

口 (kǒu) “mouth,” a pictograph, is created based on the shape of a wide-open mouth. It is often used as a component.

Used as a component

When 口 (kǒu) “mouth” serves as a component, it has two main functions. First, it indicates an action done by or has relationships with the mouth, for example, 叫 (jiào) “to call.” Second, it points out the other component in the character is phonetic, for example, 吗 (ma), a question particle.

kǒu
口
mouth		 jiào
叫
to call		 chī
吃
to eat		 háo
号
howl
huí
回
to return		 ma
吗
question		 míng
名
name

Used as a morpheme/word

When 口 (kǒu) is used as a morpheme, it is usually related to speech or openings.

Wordlist

  • HSK 3: 口 (kǒu) mouth
  • HSK 4: 入口 (rùkǒu) entrance
  • HSK 5: 出口 (chūkǒu) exit
  • HSK 5: 借口 (jièkǒu) excuse
  • HSK 5: 进口 (jìnkǒu) to import

How to pronounce

This character sounds like “call,” but instead of finishing with ll, relax your tongue and close your mouth a little bit.

3rd Pinyin Yale IPA
Initial k- k [kʰ]
Final -ou ou [oʊ]

Chinese character practice sheet

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