(hěn) - very, quite in Mandarin
hěnTraditional: 很
Translation
very, quite
Word origin
很 (hěn, 'very') is a phono-semantic compound built on 彳 (the 'step' radical, suggesting going) with 艮 (gěn) as the phonetic. The modern adverbial sense of degree developed from an earlier meaning of disobedience or stubbornness.
- Origin
- phono-semantic compound
- Root
- 彳 (step radical) + 艮 (gěn, phonetic)
Stroke order
很
Examples
菜。
This dish is very delicious.
，。
She is very smart and learns things quickly.
。
You look very beautiful today.
。
I am very happy to meet you.
。
This question is very important.
很 (hěn) functions as the standard degree adverb in Mandarin, equivalent to "very" or "quite" in English. One key grammatical point is that in Mandarin, adjectives used as predicates typically require an adverb like 很 before them - saying 她好 alone sounds incomplete or implies a comparison, while 她很好 is the natural neutral form meaning "she is fine/good."
The character combines the "heart/emotion" radical with a component suggesting stubbornness or going against, historically implying strong feeling. In modern usage it has neutralised to a simple intensifier, and native speakers often use it as a linking word without strong emphasis. When genuine emphasis is needed, 非常 (fēicháng) or 太 (tài) are preferred.
Where this fits
Appears in 5 words
Multi-character compounds in the corpus that contain 很.
Used in
Stories
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Grammar articles
(40)Mandarin Adjectives as Stative Verbs: Why 'I Am Cold' Is 我冷, Not 我是冷
Mandarin Advanced Grammar (C1-C2 / HSK 6+): Chengyu, Classical Remnants, and Register
不但...而且 in Mandarin: Not Only A But Also B (不仅, 还, 也, 并且)
Mandarin Causatives 使 (shǐ), 令 (lìng) and 让 (ràng): Making Someone Feel or Do Something
Mandarin Grammar Cheatsheet: The Essentials, One Page
Mandarin Comparatives: 比, 比较, 最, 跟…一样 and How to Say 'More', 'Most', 'Same As'
Mandarin Complements: 得 for Manner, Directional Endings, and How to Attach a Result to a Verb
Concession in Mandarin: 虽然...还是/但是, 不过, and 还是 (Although, Even So, Nonetheless)
Mandarin Conjunctions: 虽然…但是, 因为…所以, 如果…就 and the Paired Structures That Join Clauses
The Mandarin Copula 是 (shì): To Be, and When to Leave It Out
Asking How + Adjective in Mandarin with 多: 多高, 多远, 多长, 多大
Figurative Directional Complements in Mandarin: 起来, 下去 and 出来 Beyond Up, Down and Out
The Mandarin Durative 着 (zhe): Marking a State That Continues (门开着, 拿着书, 笑着说)
How to Say Even Though and Even If in Mandarin: 虽然, 即使, 就算 and 尽管
Mandarin Existential and Presentative Sentences: 有, 出现, 发生 and Why New Things Go After the Verb
Formal Mandarin Connectives: 然而, 因此, 于是 and 尽管 (The Written Register)
Mandarin Four-Character Idioms (四字格): The Shape, Not the List
Mandarin Greetings and Survival Phrases: Say Something Today
Mandarin Intermediate Grammar (B1-B2 / HSK 4-5): Complements, Conjunctions and the Full 了 System
就 (jiù) vs 才 (cái) in Mandarin: Sooner Than Expected, Later Than Expected
The Two 了 in Mandarin: Completion 了 After the Verb vs Change-of-State 了 at the End
Mandarin Location and Existence: 在 for Where, 有 for There Is, and the 上/下/里/外 Position Words
Mandarin Possession with 的 (de): My, Your, His, and When Mandarin Drops the Particle
Mandarin Possession with 有 (yǒu): To Have
Mandarin Potential Complements: Can You Reach the Result? (吃得完, 听不懂, 买不起)
Mandarin Question Formation: 吗, V-Not-V, 还是, and the In-Situ Wh-Word System
Mandarin Rhetorical Questions: 难道, 不是...吗, 何必 and 岂不
Mandarin Sentence-Final Particles: 吧, 呢, 啊, 嘛, 吗 and the Final 了
The Mandarin 所 (suǒ) Family: 所有, 所谓, 所 + Verb, and the 为...所 Passive
The Three de in Mandarin: 的, 得, and 地 and How to Tell Them Apart
Topic-Comment Structure in Mandarin: Fronting 这本书我看过 and Why Word Order Bends
Mandarin Verb Reduplication: 看看, 看一看, 休息休息 and the 一下 Alternative
Mandarin Sentence Structure: Word Order, Topic-Comment and the 把 Construction
无论 and 不管 in Mandarin: The No Matter What Frame (无论/不管 ... 都/也)
Mandarin 性 (xìng) and 化 (huà): Building Abstract Nouns and '-ise' Verbs
Yes-No Questions in Mandarin: 吗 (ma), Echo Answers, and the Bounce-Back 呢 (ne)
The Mandarin 以 (yǐ) Family: 以为, 以及, 以便, 以免, 以来 and 以...为...
The Mandarin 于 (yú) Family: 对于, 关于, 由于, 至于, 属于, 位于, 终于
The Mandarin 者 (zhě) Suffix: 作者, 读者, 前者, and Naming the One Who Does It
Mandarin 之 (zhī): 之一, 之间, 之后, 之中, 总之 and the Written Ancestor of 的
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很: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "很" (very, quite): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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