Definitions
Etymology
Depiction of a man carrying an axe on over his shoulders. The right side of the form was later phoneticized into 可. The current meaning "what" is a phonetic loan.
About
何 combines the human radical 亻 with the phonetic 可. It originally depicted a man carrying an axe over his shoulder, the right side later phoneticized into 可. The character was borrowed phonetically to serve as interrogative pronouns such as 'what,' 'where,' 'why,' and 'how.' To represent the original meaning of carrying, the grass radical was added to form 荷, which also means lotus, leaving 何 as a question word in both classical and modern Chinese.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
为何这样做？
你如何学习中文？
会议何时何地举行？
何必如此着急？
何不试试看？
我何尝不想去？
他的优点何止这些？
对于这个问题，你有何看法？
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