很

hěn
HSK 1
#138 most
frequent character
(adverb of degree), quite, very
adverb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

很 joins 彳, which shows movement, with 艮 gèn, meaning 'to look away from'. The two give the first sense 'to disobey' or 'go one's own way'. The meaning later grew to 'dispute' in old texts, 'ferocious' (now 狠), and 'very'.

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Example Sentences

这个苹果很大。
zhègè píngguǒ hěndà 。
This apple is very big.
她的老师很有名。
tāde lǎoshī hěnyǒu míng 。
Her teacher is quite famous.
天气今天很好。
tiānqì jīntiān hěnhǎo 。
The weather is very good today.

Grammar Points

HSK 3
Special verbs with "hen"
HSK 5
Adjectival complement "de hen"
HSK 5
The opposite of "chabuduo" is "cha hen duo"
HSK 1
Simple "noun + adjective" sentences

Words with similar meanings

非常fēicháng
extremely
A stronger degree than 很, used for emphasis.
相当xiāngdāng
fairly
Similar in meaning but can imply a slightly less intense degree.

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Public Lists with 很

Feelings & Emotions
Vocabulary for happiness, sadness, anger, fear, love, excitement, etc.
HSK 1
All words for the HSK 1 test
Weather & Climate
Describing temperature, precipitation, seasons, forecasts, and related terms.
Common Adjectives
Descriptive words for size, quality, temperature, mood, and more.