# 很

| 很 | U+5F88, &#24456; CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5F88 |
| ← 徇 [U+5F87] | CJK Unified Ideographs | 徉 → [U+5F89] |

## Translingual
### Han character

很 (Kangxi radical 60, 彳+6, 9 strokes, cangjie input 竹人日女 (HOAV), four-corner 2723$_2$, composition ⿰彳艮)

#### Derived characters

* 䓳 𭉂 𭦶 𭿉 𧩺 𢉟 𭝮

#### References

* Kangxi Dictionary: page 366, character 13
* Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 10093
* Dae Jaweon: page 687, character 7
* Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 822, character 1
* Unihan data for U+5F88

## Chinese
### Glyph origin

| | Old Chinese |
| 艱 | *krɯːn |
| 齦 | *kʰrɯːnʔ, *kʰɯːnʔ, *ŋɯn |
| 眼 | *ŋrɯːnʔ |
| 蛝 | *ɡrɯːn |
| 限 | *ɡrɯːnʔ |
| 硍 | *ɡrɯːnʔ |
| 豤 | *kʰɯːnʔ, *kʰɯːnʔ, *kʰuːn |
| 詪 | *ɡlɯːnʔ, *kɯːnʔ, *kɯːns |
| 根 | *kɯːn |
| 跟 | *kɯːn |
| 珢 | *kɯːn, *kɯːns, *ŋrɯn |
| 艮 | *kɯːns |
| 茛 | *kɯːns |
| 墾 | *kʰɯːnʔ |
| 懇 | *kʰɯːnʔ |
| 垠 | *ŋɯːn, *ŋrɯn, *ŋɯn |
| 泿 | *ŋɯːn, *ŋrɯn |
| 痕 | *ɡɯːn |
| 拫 | *ɡɯːn |
| 鞎 | *ɡɯːn |
| 很 | *ɡɯːnʔ |
| 恨 | *ɡɯːns |
| 銀 | *ŋrɯn |
| 檭 | *ŋrɯn |
Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ɡɯːnʔ) : semantic 彳 + phonetic 艮 (OC *kɯːns).

### Etymology

“Cruel (~ 狠); to disobey; to defy” > “very; quite” (since Yuan dynasty). Compare 蠻／蛮 (mán).

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Standard)
       (Pinyin): hěn (hen$^3$)
       (Zhuyin): ㄏㄣˇ
    (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): хын (hɨn, II)
* Cantonese (Jyutping): han$^2$
* Gan (Wiktionary): hen$^3$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): hàn
    (Meixian, Guangdong): hên$^1$
* Jin (Wiktionary): heng$^2$
* Northern Min (KCR): hǎing
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): hún / hín
    (Teochew, Peng'im): heng$^2$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^5$hen; $^1$hen
* Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): he$^3$ / hen$^3$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: hěn
*** Zhuyin: ㄏㄣˇ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: hěn
*** Wade–Giles: hên$^3$
*** Yale: hěn
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: heen
*** Palladius: хэнь (xɛnʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /xən²¹⁴/
** (Dungan)
*** Cyrillic and Wiktionary: хын (hɨn, II)
*** Sinological IPA : /xəŋ⁵¹/
    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: han$^2$
*** Yale: hán
*** Cantonese Pinyin: han$^2$
*** Guangdong Romanization: hen$^2$
*** Sinological IPA : /hɐn³⁵/
* Gan
** (Nanchang)
*** Wiktionary: hen$^3$
*** Sinological IPA : /hɛn²¹³/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: hàn
*** Hakka Romanization System: han$^ˇ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: han$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /han¹¹/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: hên$^1$
*** Sinological IPA: /hɛn⁴⁴/
* Jin
** (Taiyuan)
*** Wiktionary: heng$^2$
*** Sinological IPA (old-style): /xə̃ŋ⁵³/
* Northern Min
** (Jian'ou)
*** Kienning Colloquial Romanized: hǎing
*** Sinological IPA : /xaiŋ²¹/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Quanzhou, General Taiwanese, Xiamen)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hún
*** Tâi-lô: hún
*** Phofsit Daibuun: huon
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /hun⁵⁵⁴/
*** IPA (Taipei, Xiamen): /hun⁵³/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /hun⁴¹/
** (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hín
*** Tâi-lô: hín
*** Phofsit Daibuun: hien
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /hin⁵³/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: heng$^2$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: hṳ́ng
*** Sinological IPA : /hɯŋ⁵²/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^5$hen; $^1$hen
*** MiniDict: hen$^去$; hen$^平$
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^2$hen; $^1$hen
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /hən³⁴/, /hən⁵³/
* Xiang
** (Changsha)
*** Wiktionary: he$^3$ / hen$^3$
*** Sinological IPA : /xɤ̞⁴¹/, /xən⁴¹/
* Middle Chinese: honX
Rime :
| Character | 很 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 匣 (33) |
| Final (韻) | 痕 (53) |
| Tone (調) | Rising (X) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | I |
| Fanqie | 胡墾切 |
| Baxter | honX |
| Reconstructions ||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /ɦən$^X$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /ɦən$^X$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /ɣən$^X$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /ɦən$^X$/ |
| Li Rong | /ɣən$^X$/ |
| Wang Li | /ɣən$^X$/ |
| Bernard Karlgren | /ɣən$^X$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | hèn |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | han$^6$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Zhengzhang): /*ɡɯːnʔ/
Zhengzhang system (2003) :
| Character | 很 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| No. | 3937 |
| Phonetic component | 艮 |
| Rime group | 文 |
| Rime subdivision | 1 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 很 |
| Old Chinese | /*ɡɯːnʔ/ |

### Definitions

很
* very; rather; quite
    他很高興。／他很高兴。 ― Tā hěn gāoxìng. ― He is very pleased.
    我很喜歡。／我很喜欢。 ― Wǒ hěn xǐhuān. ― I like it very much.
    我喜歡得很。／我喜欢得很。 ― Wǒ xǐhuān de hěn. ― I like it very much.
* (Mandarin, especially before monosyllabic adjectives) (no meaning, see usage note)
    Synonym: 好 (Cantonese)
    我很好。 ― Wǒ hěn hǎo. ― I'm good. (no intensification)
* (obsolete, original senses)
** to disobey; to defy; to be querulous
    From: Zhuangzi, circa 3rd – 2nd centuries BCE
    Jiàn guò bù gèng, wén jiàn yù shèn, wèi zhī hěn. [Pinyin]
    To see one's errors and not improve, to hear words of advice and become ever more extreme: this is called being querulous.
** struggle; dispute; lawsuit
    From: The Book of Rites, c. 4th – 2nd century BCE
    Lín cái wú gǒu dé, lín nán wú gǒu miǎn. Hěn wú qiú shèng, fēn wú qiú duō. [Pinyin]
    When faced with wealth, do not obtain it improperly; when faced with hardship, do not escape it improperly. As for disputes, do not seek victory; as for your share, do not seek too much.
    From: Mencius, c. 4th century BCE
    Cóng ěrmù zhī yù, yǐwéi fùmǔ lù, sì bùxiào yě; hǎo yǒng dòuhěn, yǐ wēi fùmǔ, wǔ bùxiào yě. [Pinyin]
    To follow sensual desires and cause shame for one's parents is the fourth case of filial impiety; to love recklessness and fighting and thereby imperil one's parents is the fifth case of filial impiety.
** to try to one's utmost
* (obsolete) Alternative form of 狠 (hěn, “cruel; savage; inhumane”).

#### Usage notes

* Mandarin speakers have a strong tendency to avoid monosyllabic terms. In order to satisfy this restriction, 很 is added before monosyllabic adjectives without any actual meaning. Similarly, Chinese people with monosyllabic first names will usually be addressed by their full name, even by their parents.
* Such usage of 很 is not uncommon before other adjectives as well, to the point where forming a sentence without 很 may be perceived as very unnatural. Additionally, using an adjective as a predicate without 很 might carry notions of a comparative statement, e.g. '我好' could be interpreted as 'I am good [unlike some other person that was mentioned]'.

#### Synonyms

* (very):
* 不要太 (bùyàotài) (slang)
* 十分 (shífēn)
* 危險／危险 (Wu)
* 壞／坏 (huài)
* 孔 (kǒng) (literary, or in compounds)
* 極其／极其 (jíqí)
* 極度／极度 (jídù)
* 極為／极为 (jíwéi)
* 極端／极端 (jíduān)
* 滾／滚 (gǔn) (literary, or in compounds)
* 異常／异常 (yìcháng)
* 老大 (lǎodà) (colloquial, usually in the negative)
* 良
* 超 (chāo)
* 非常 (fēicháng)
* 頗／颇 (pō) (literary)
* 頗為／颇为 (pōwéi) (literary)
| Variety | Location | Words |
| Classical Chinese | Classical Chinese | 甚, 孔 |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 很, 非常, 十分 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Beijing | 挺, 很, 倍兒, 怪 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 很, 好, 非常, 超, 蠻, 超級 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Malaysia | 很 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Singapore | 很, 蠻, 非常 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Tianjin | 挺, 很, 傻, 老, 倍兒, 齁兒 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Jinan | 挺, 楞 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xi'an | 很 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chengdu | 很, 好 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chongqing | 很 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Wuhan | 蠻, 很 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Yangzhou | 蠻, 稀, 很 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Hefei | 很 |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 好, 非常之 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 好, 非常, 非常之, 超, 勁, 十分之, 無敵 |
| Cantonese | Zhongshan (Shiqi) | 好 |
| Cantonese | Taishan | 好, 十分之 |
| Cantonese | Yangjiang | 好 |
| Cantonese | Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) | 好 |
| Cantonese | Singapore (Guangfu) | 好, 非常之, 非常 |
| Gan | Nanchang | 蠻 |
| Hakka | Meixian | 好, 刮, 已, 還, 異, 還 exclamation |
| Hakka | Huidong (Daling) | 好 |
| Hakka | Wuhua (Meilin) | 好 |
| Hakka | Shaoguan (Qujiang) | 頂 |
| Hakka | Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang) | 好 |
| Hakka | Changting | 野 |
| Hakka | Wuping (Pingyu) | 已, 刮 |
| Hakka | Liancheng | 樣 |
| Hakka | Ninghua | 好 |
| Hakka | Ruijin | 蠻 |
| Hakka | Shicheng | 蠻 |
| Hakka | Shangyou (Shexi) | 蠻 |
| Hakka | Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 當, 已, 還 |
| Hakka | Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 蓋, 盡, 還 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 當, 盡, 已, 還 |
| Hakka | Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 當, 已, 還 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 當, 已, 還 |
| Hakka | Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 足, 真, 實在 |
| Hakka | Hong Kong | 好 |
| Hakka | Sabah (Bao'an) | 好 |
| Hakka | Kuching (Hepo) | 很 |
| Hakka | Singapore (Dabu) | 好 |
| Jin | Taiyuan | 很, 挺 |
| Northern Min | Jian'ou | 盡 |
| Eastern Min | Fuzhou | 野, 真 |
| Eastern Min | Singapore (Fuqing) | 真 |
| Eastern Min | Sitiawan (Gutian) | 真 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 真, 野, 誠, 有夠, 萬代, 死人, 非常, 真正, 設汰, 一 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen (Tong'an) | 真 |
| Southern Min | Quanzhou | 真, 野, 誠, 有夠, 萬代, 死人, 設汰 |
| Southern Min | Jinjiang | 野 |
| Southern Min | Zhangzhou | 盡, 蓋, 足, 足範, 有夠, 出奇, 極死, 見死, 死了了, 死人, 設汰, 設汰仔 |
| Southern Min | Zhao'an | 很, 真, 死絕, 好, 非常 |
| Southern Min | Dongshan | 真, 非常 |
| Southern Min | Taipei | 真, 誠 |
| Southern Min | New Taipei (Sanxia) | 真, 誠 |
| Southern Min | Kaohsiung | 有夠, 足, 真, 誠, 蓋 |
| Southern Min | Yilan | 有夠, 足, 誠, 盡 |
| Southern Min | Changhua (Lukang) | 真, 誠 |
| Southern Min | Taichung | 誠, 蓋, 足 |
| Southern Min | Tainan | 有夠, 足, 真, 誠, 蓋 |
| Southern Min | Hsinchu | 真, 誠 |
| Southern Min | Kinmen | 足, 誠 |
| Southern Min | Penghu (Magong) | 真, 誠 |
| Southern Min | Penang (Hokkien) | 真, 誠, 真正 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hokkien) | 真, 死爸, 真正, 誠, 足, 有夠 |
| Southern Min | Manila (Hokkien) | 野, 真, 萬代, 真誠, 誠, 有夠 |
| Southern Min | Chaozhou | 過, 好, 非常, 死爸 |
| Southern Min | Shantou | 過, 鐵, 好, 很, 死爸, 死絕 |
| Southern Min | Shantou (Chenghai) | 好, 死絕 |
| Southern Min | Shantou (Chaoyang) | 好, 非常 |
| Southern Min | Jieyang | 過, 好, 死爸, 死絕 |
| Southern Min | Bangkok (Teochew) | 好 |
| Southern Min | Johor Bahru (Teochew) | 好 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Teochew) | 真, 死爸, 非常 |
| Southern Min | Wenchang | 極, 但顧, 真 |
| Southern Min | Haikou | 但顧 |
| Southern Min | Qionghai | 但顧, 真 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hainanese) | 但顧, 真 |
| Zhongshan Min | Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi) | 好, 蠻 |
| Wu | Shanghai | 蠻, 老, 邪氣, 老老, 瞎, 絕, 十分, 十二萬分, 非常, 非常之, 畢, 畢畢, 來得, 來得個, 煞, 交關, 十二分 rare, 窮 dated, 野 dated, 邪 dated |
| Wu | Suzhou | 蠻, 窮 |
| Wu | Hangzhou | 蠻, 交關, 木佬佬, 冒 |
| Wu | Ningbo | 交關, 蠻, 堪, 𣍐好, 𣍐派, 甮派, 出格, 木牢牢 rare, 猛 rare |
| Wu | Zhoushan | 交關, 蠻, 猛, 堪, 出格, 木牢牢 rare |
| Wu | Wenzhou | 蠻, 蒙, 顯 |
| Xiang | Changsha | 很, 蠻 |
| Xiang | Shuangfeng | 蠻 |

#### See also

* 太 (tài)

### Compounds

* 傲很
* 很多 (hěnduō)
* 很少 (hěnshǎo)
* 很是
* 得很 (dehěn)
* 鬥很／斗很

## Japanese
### Kanji

(Hyōgai kanji)
* This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

#### Readings

* Go-on: ごん (gon)
* Kan-on: こん (kon)
* Kun: もとる (motoru, 很る)

## Korean
### Hanja

很 (eumhun 패려궂을 흔 (paeryeogujeul heun))
* This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

## Vietnamese
### Han character

很: Hán Nôm readings: ngận, hẩn
* This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.