hǎo

good · to like

HSK 1

Evolution

好 in oracle script
Oracle Bone · ~1200 BCE
好 in bronze script
Bronze · ~800 BCE
好 in seal script
Seal Script · ~200 BCE
好 in liushutong script
Liushūtong · ~1600 CE
Modern
real etymology

A woman (女) and a child (子). The oracle bone form shows a kneeling woman cradling an infant. The ancient Chinese concept of 'good': a mother with her child. Some scholars argue it originally meant 'to love' — the mother-child bond as the prototype of all affection. The pronunciation shifted, but modern Chinese preserved both readings: hǎo (good) and hào (to love doing something).

Components

女 ancient form
woman
子 ancient form
child

Related Characters

Further Reading

25 Characters With Wild EtymologiesGuide

Appears in Stories