郝 (Hǎo) · surname Hao, ancient place name

Meanings

1 surname Hao
2 ancient place name

Characters

郝

Hǎo

surname Hao; ancient place name

Examples

HSK 3

郝老师教我们数学。

Hǎo lǎoshī jiāo wǒmen shùxué.

Teacher Hao teaches us math.

HSK 7-9

郝海东是中国足球传奇人物。

Hǎo Hǎidōng shì Zhōngguó zúqiú chuánqí rénwù.

Hao Haidong is a legendary figure in Chinese football.

Tips

mistakes

Many learners mispronounce 郝 as hè (fourth tone). The correct reading as a surname is Hǎo (third tone). It ranks among the top 100 Chinese surnames.

Components

radical

阝 yì

city; settlement (right-side form of 邑)

Right-side 阝 is the city radical 邑 in compressed form (distinct from the left-side mound 阝 in 阵, 陡). It marks 郝 as a place-name character - originally a fief in Shanxi whose people took it as their surname. Same family: 邓, 邵, 邢, 邱.

phonetic

赤 chì

red; bare

Left 赤 supplies the historical sound - chì drifting to hǎo through an old ch-/h- alternation, the same shift behind 赫. 赤 originally pictured a person over fire, giving 'red, glowing,' a faint flavour that survives in the bright-clan associations of the Hao surname.