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乎

Mandarin · pinyin hū

(classical particle similar to 於 yú) in
at
from
because
than
(classical final particle similar to 嗎 ma, 吧 ba, 呢 ne, expressing question, doubt or astonishment)

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乎: hū · interrogative or exclamatory final particle

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1 · hu1

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1character link28same-tone records6source references

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 14 senses · 3 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

fu1 · fu4 · wu4

Cantonese word readings for 乎. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character · Etymology 1

in; at; on
(indicates the object of an action) with; on
(indicates comparison) than
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) A suffix placed after adjectives and adverbs to express praise or amazement.
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) Sentence-final interrogative particle.
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) Sentence-final exclamatory particle.
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) Sentence-final imperative particle.
(obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) Sentence-final speculative particle.

character · Etymology 2

(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 予 (“hō͘”)

character · Etymology 3

(Hokkien) Sentence-final particle expressing doubt with a question, especially to ask for confirmation: right?
(Mainland China and Philippine Hokkien) Particle in the middle of a sentence to express a pause in speaking with slight emphasis on the preceding word: right
(Taiwanese Hokkien) Sentence-final particle expressing a question to tease or ridicule someone
(Taiwanese Hokkien) modal particle expressing understanding, comprehension, realization: oh!
(Zhangzhou Hokkien) Sentence-final particle to indicate an imperative sentence

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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