What does 号 mean in Chinese?

号 (hào) means "[day number in a date], number (in a series)" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 1.

How do you write 号?

号 is written with 5 strokes, starting from the 口 (mouth) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 号?

The radical of 号 is 口 (mouth, Kangxi radical #30). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 可, 告, 后, 名.

How many strokes does 号 have?

The Chinese character 号 has 5 strokes.

What HSK level is 号?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 号 is a character to recognise at HSK 1.

号 (hào): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

号

hào

[day number in a date], number (in a series)

HSK 1 character 5 strokes Radical: 口 (mouth)

Quick Answer

号 (hào) means "[day number in a date], number (in a series)" with 5 strokes, radical 口 (mouth), HSK 1 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 号 →Animated stroke-order for 号 →

Pronunciation

hào

Meaning

Primary: [day number in a date]

Other meanings:

number (in a series)

Etymology

Oracle-bone origin

The traditional form 號 combines 号 (a cry, showing a mouth 口 above a bent element 丂 indicating exhaled breath) with 虎 (tiger), giving the sense of a tiger's roar or loud cry. The simple 号 by itself already depicted a forceful sound issuing from the mouth in oracle-bone and seal script. The modern simplified 号 drops the 虎 component.

Form evolution

Seal script shows 号 as 口 above 丂, and 號 adds 虎 on the right. Clerical and standard script preserved the traditional 號 for most of its history. The PRC simplification scheme reinstated the older short form 号 as the standard, so modern mainland texts write 号 while Taiwan and Hong Kong retain 號.

How the meaning evolved

The earliest meaning was to cry out loudly, preserved in 号哭 (to wail). From loud cry it extended to a signal or call, then to a name or title given as a public designation, and from there to a number or mark used for identification. Modern Mandarin uses 号 most often for number, date, or size, with the original shouting sense surviving in fixed compounds.

Cultural note

The reading splits by meaning: hào for name, number, or signal, and háo for crying or howling (号叫, 哀号). Scholars traditionally had a 号 as a self-chosen literary name, distinct from their given name 名 and courtesy name 字, which is why poets are often known by their 号 rather than their birth name.

Mnemonic

A mouth shouting — a number, a name

Decomposition

号=口radical+丂component

Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.

Basic info

Pinyin	hào
Meanings	[day number in a date], number (in a series)
Stroke count	5 strokes
Radical	口 (#30: mouth)
New HSK exam	Recognise at HSK 1
Frequency	#325 most common

Example sentences

今天是五月三号。
Jīntiān shì wǔ yuè sān hào.
Today is May 3rd.
From 号 (HSK 1)
这个号码很大。
Zhège hàomǎ hěn dà.
This number is large.
From 号码 (HSK 3)
我们需要信号。
Wǒmen xūyào xìnhào.
We need signal.
From 信号 (HSK 4)

Words containing 号

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
号	hào	[day number in a date], number (in a series)	HSK 1
号码	hàomǎ	number	HSK 3
挂号	guàhào	Register	HSK 5
信号	xìnhào	signal	HSK 4
编号	biānhào	to number, serial number	HSK 7-9
称号	chēnghào	title, designation	HSK 6
绰号	chuòhào	nickname	HSK 7-9