Definitions
(particle)
what; how; why; which
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
The character 何 originally conveyed the meaning of carrying a burden, as seen in its early usage as a verb meaning "to bear" or "to carry". Its structure solidified as a phono-semantic compound consisting of the person radical 亻 and the phonetic component 可. Through a process of phonetic borrowing, 何 was adopted to serve as an interrogative pronoun, taking on the senses of "what" or "how", which eventually became its primary function in modern Chinese, while its original verbal meaning diminished in everyday use.
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？