曷

hé
pronoun

Meanings

  1. 1 why; how; when; what (classical interrogative)

Examples

HSK 4
Hé yún néng lái?
When will you be able to come?

Tips

history
曷 is a classical interrogative ('why / how / when') largely replaced by 何 in modern Chinese. It survives mainly as a phonetic root, giving the sound in 喝 (to drink), 渴 (thirsty), 竭 (exhausted), and 歇 (to rest).
register
Literary and archaic. You will see 曷 in classical texts and in component breakdowns, not in everyday speech.

Components

semantic
曰 yuē
to say; speech
The top 'speech' element fits an interrogative word: 曷 is something asked. It is the indexing radical here.
phonetic
匃 gài
to beg; phonetic element
The lower portion supplies the sound and ties 曷 into the 喝 / 渴 phonetic family.

Stroke Order

曷 hé