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
The character 何 combines the human radical 亻 on the left with the phonetic element 可 on the right, originally depicting a person carrying a pole or load. Although this structure suggests bearing a burden, the character was borrowed phonetically to serve as an interrogative pronoun, meaning what, where, why, or how. To retain the original sense of carrying, the character 荷 was later formed by adding the grass radical, which also came to denote the lotus plant. As a result, 何 functions primarily 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？