好 simplified
好 traditional · same
hǎo / hào
good · fine · well · (hào) to like, to be fond of
部首 bùshǒu · 女 nǚ woman 6 笔画 bǐhuà strokes HSK 1 tone 3 · hǎo (tone 4 · hào)
笔顺 bǐshùn · Stroke order

Click the character to replay. Press Try drawing to write it yourself.

字源 zìyuán Etymology & Structure
字源洞见 zìyuán dòngjiàn · Etymological Insight

好 = 女 nǚ (woman) + 子 zǐ (child). The oracle-bone form shows a woman holding or beside a child. The classical interpretation: a mother with her child — the most fundamental image of goodness, completeness, and right order. What is good is what is in its proper, natural place.

This etymology has attracted feminist critiques in modern Chinese scholarship, but the compositional logic is simply Shang-dynasty cultural values: mother-and-child was the baseline image of the good. The character has outlasted the ideology that produced it, and 好 now spans everything from casual "okay" to formal "excellent."

好 is also one of the most expressive characters in spoken Mandarin. Tone, length, and context transform it completely: 好 (flat) = okay / yes · 好！(emphatic) = Great! · 好好好 (rapid) = fine fine fine (slightly impatient) · 好嘛 (wheedling) = okay? please? · 好了好了 = alright alright (enough).

多音字 duōyīnzì Two Readings: hǎo vs. hào
读音分工 dúyīn fēngōng · Reading Split hǎo (3rd tone) → adjective: good, fine, well, easy to; greeting; okay
hào (4th tone) → verb: to like, to be fond of, to have a taste for (more formal/literary)
好 hǎo hǎo good; fine; well; easy to; okay
Adj 形容词 xíngróngcí
The everyday adjective. Covers quality (好书 good book), health (你好 you-good = hello), ease (好写 easy to write), completion (好了 done/ready), and agreement (好 okay). It also functions as an adverb before adjectives: 好大 very big (spoken intensifier).
这本书写得很好。
Zhè běn shū xiě de hěn hǎo.
This book is written very well.
饭好了，快来吃吧。
Fàn hǎo le, kuài lái chī ba.
The meal is ready, come eat.
好 hào hào to like; to be fond of; to have a predilection for
V 动词 dòngcí
The verbal reading — a habitual liking or tendency. More formal and literary than 喜欢 xǐhuān. Common in compounds: 好奇 hàoqí (curious — fond of the strange), 好学 hàoxué (studious — fond of learning), 爱好 àihào (hobby — love-fondness). The 4th tone signals the verbal, active sense.
他好学不倦。
Tā hàoxué bùjuàn.
He is studious and tireless in learning.
她很好奇，什么都想知道。
Tā hěn hàoqí, shénme dōu xiǎng zhīdào.
She is very curious — she wants to know everything.
辨析 biànxī · 好 hào vs. 喜欢 xǐhuān 好 hào = a deep, habitual, character-defining fondness. 喜欢 = to like (broader, everyday). 爱 ài = to love. 好 hào sounds more literary and appears mainly in compounds; in speech, 喜欢 is the default.
核心用法 héxīn yòngfǎ Core Uses — Good, Well, Easy, Done
好 + V (easy to V) hǎo + V easy to verb / pleasant to verb
Pattern 句型 jùxíng
好 before a verb = easy/pleasant to do that action. 好吃 hǎochī (tasty — easy/good to eat), 好看 hǎokàn (good-looking), 好听 hǎotīng (pleasant to hear), 好用 hǎoyòng (handy — easy to use), 好写 hǎo xiě (easy to write). The negative form 不好 + V = hard/unpleasant to do: 不好说 (hard to say).
这道菜真好吃！
Zhè dào cài zhēn hǎochī!
This dish is really delicious!
这个问题不好回答。
Zhège wèntí bù hǎo huídá.
This question is hard to answer.
好了 hǎo le done; ready; okay; alright (change of state)
Expr 表达 biǎodá
好 + 了 (change-of-state marker) = has become ready/done/okay. One of the most frequent two-syllable expressions in spoken Mandarin. Announces completion, signals readiness, and in reduplicated form (好了好了) means "alright, enough, okay."
作业写好了。
Zuòyè xiě hǎo le.
The homework is done.
好了好了，别再说了。
Hǎo le hǎo le, bié zài shuō le.
Alright alright, stop talking.
社交表达 shèjiāo biǎodá Social Phrases — Greetings & Courtesy
字 Zì 拼音 Pīnyīn 英文 Yīngwén 语境 Yǔjìng
你好 nǐ hǎo hello standard greeting; formal enough for strangers
你好吗？ nǐ hǎo ma? how are you? more natural in writing than speech; in speech: 最近怎么样?
很好 hěn hǎo very good / doing well common response to 你好吗
好的 hǎo de okay; sure; understood common agreement; more confirming than bare 好
好久不见 hǎo jiǔ bú jiàn long time no see a phrase that actually entered English from Chinese pidgin
好吧 hǎo ba fine; I suppose so; okay then reluctant or resigned agreement; 吧 softens it
核心构词 héxīn gòucí Key 好 Compounds
爱好 àihào hobby; interest; pastime
N 名词 míngcí
爱 ài (to love) + 好 hào (to be fond of). A thing one loves doing — a hobby or passion. One of the first personal vocabulary items learners need: 你有什么爱好？(What are your hobbies?)
我的爱好是读书和爬山。
Wǒ de àihào shì dúshū hé páshān.
My hobbies are reading and hiking.
好奇 hàoqí curious; inquisitive
Adj 形容词 xíngróngcí
好 hào (fond of) + 奇 qí (the strange, the unusual). Fond of the unusual — curious. 好奇心 hàoqíxīn = curiosity (the heart of fondness for strangeness).
孩子天生好奇，什么都想摸。
Háizi tiānshēng hàoqí, shénme dōu xiǎng mō.
Children are naturally curious — they want to touch everything.
好处 hǎochù benefit; advantage; good point
N 名词 míngcí
好 hǎo (good) + 处 chù (place; aspect; point). The good points of something — its advantages. Contrast: 坏处 huàichù (bad points; disadvantages).
运动有很多好处。
Yùndòng yǒu hěn duō hǎochù.
Exercise has many benefits.
成语 chéngyǔ Idioms & Set Phrases
好事多磨 hǎo shì duō mó good things take time — good outcomes require much grinding and effort Lit: good-things-much-grinding. Used to console someone experiencing delays or obstacles on the path to something valuable. The consolation: friction is the price of worth.
好景不长 hǎo jǐng bù cháng good times don't last — a beautiful scene cannot endure Lit: good-scenery-not-long. An expression of Buddhist impermanence and Chinese realism about fortune. Used when pleasant circumstances are ending or were brief.
好自为之 hǎo zì wéi zhī take good care of yourself; do well for yourself A formal farewell or parting injunction — "do well in your own conduct." Can be warm (a mentor to a student) or pointed (a warning to behave). Context determines whether it is affectionate or admonishing.
相邻词汇 xiānglín cíhuì Adjacent Vocabulary
不错búcuònot bad; pretty good 爱好àihàohobby; interest 好奇hàoqícurious 好吃hǎochīdelicious 好看hǎokàngood-looking; interesting to read 好处hǎochùbenefit; advantage 友好yǒuhǎofriendly; amicable 美好měihǎobeautiful; wonderful 完好wánhǎointact; in good condition