口 (kǒu): mouth
口 (kǒu) is a Chinese character meaning “mouth.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 冂 (structural) and 一 (structural). It ranks #212 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically pictographic, 口 an open mouth. Its radical form 口 (mouth) appears in many related characters such as 叫 (jiào, to call, to be called), 右 (yòu, (bound form) right), 号 (hào, ordinal number).
Definitions
- mouth
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 口 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 口
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 伤口noun | shāng kǒu | wound | 6 |
| 出口noun/verb | chū kǒu | an exit | 4 |
| 口袋noun | kǒu dài | 5 | |
| 门口noun | mén kǒu | doorway | 2 |
| 人口noun | rén kǒu | population | 5 |
| 入口noun | rù kǒu | entrance | 4 |
| 口味noun | kǒu wèi | a person's preferences | 5 |
| 胃口noun | wèi kǒu | appetite | 6 |
| 港口noun | gǎng kǒu | port | 6 |
| 窗口noun | chuāng kǒu | window | 6 |
| 路口noun | lù kǒu | crossing | 3 |
| 进口verb | jìn kǒu | to import | 5 |
| 口号noun | kǒu hào | slogan | 6 |
| 可口adjective | kě kǒu | tasty | 6 |
| 口头noun/adjective | kǒu tóu | oral | 6 |
| 十字路口phrase | shí zì lù kǒu | crossroads | 4 |
| 口腔noun | kǒu qiāng | oral cavity | 6 |
| 口感noun | kǒu gǎn | mouthfeel | 6 |
| 一口气adverb | yī kǒu qì | one breath | 6 |
| 口语noun | kǒu yǔ | colloquial speech | 4 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 借口 | jiè kǒu | to use as an excuse |
| 开口verb | kāi kǒu | to open one's mouth |
| 口音noun | kǒu yīn | (linguistics) oral speech sounds |
| 口香糖noun | kǒu xiāng táng | chewing gum |
| 口径noun | kǒu jìng | bore |
| 胸口noun | xiōng kǒu | chest |
| 口信noun | kǒu xìn | oral message |
| 口供noun | kǒu gòng | oral confession (as opposed to 筆供|笔供) |
| 口红 | kǒu hóng | lipstick |
| 住口verb | zhù kǒu | shut up |
| 亲口adverb | qīn kǒu | one's own mouth |
| 口气noun | kǒu qì | tone of voice |
| 口水 | kǒu shuǐ | saliva |
| 口哨noun | kǒu shào | whistle |
| 口渴noun | kǒu kě | thirsty |
口 appears in 118 compound words: 35 as the first character, 59 as the last, and 6 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 口 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (78)
to refuse to say anything about (idiom); to remain tight-lipped; to avoid mentioning
words flow from the mouth as from the pen of a master; to speak eloquently
to speak with benevolence and mercy but be vicious and malicious in reality
to refuse to say anything about (idiom); to remain tight-lipped; to avoid mentioning
to speak with benevolence and mercy but be vicious and malicious in reality
Showing 12 of 78 idioms containing 口.
Example Sentences
医生提醒要注意口腔卫生，每天至少刷牙两次。
Yīshēng tíxǐng yào zhùyì kǒuqiāng wèishēng, měitiān zhìshǎo shuāyá liǎng cì.
The doctor reminded to pay attention to oral hygiene and brush teeth at least twice a day.
“家门口”到“厂门口”,首批数百名来沪务工劳动者...
jiā mén kǒu dào hǎn mén kǒu , shǒu pī shǔ bǎi míng lái hù wù gōng láo dòng zhě . . .
From the "doorstep" to the "factory gate", the first batch of hundreds of migrant workers came to Shanghai...
新春纳福迎新,就来凯德虹口商业中心,福气好物一站式..
xīn chūn nà fú yíng xīn , jiù lái kǎi dé hóng kǒu shāng yè zhōng xīn , fú qì hǎo wù yī zhàn shì . .
Come to CapitaLand Hongkou Commercial Center for a one-stop shop for good fortune and good fortune....
谁被虹口新春美到了?中外游客:超出片,太震撼!|...
shéi bèi hóng kǒu xīn chūn měi dào le ? zhōng wài yóu kè chāo chū piān , tài zhèn hàn ! . . .
Who was captivated by Hongkou's Spring Festival beauty? Visitors from home and abroad: Beyond words, utterly breathtaking! |...
春运机票大跳水,有人一家四口提前买票亏了4000元..
chūn yùn jī piào dà tiào shuǐ , yǒu rén yī jiā sì kǒu tí qián mǎi piào kuī le yuán . .
Spring Festival travel season airfares take a nosedive, with one family of four losing 4,000 yuan after buying tickets early...
...79岁母亲的“北京梦”,小伙儿包车带15口人进..
. . . suì mǔ qīn de běi jīng mèng , xiǎo huǒ ér bāo chē dài kǒu rén jìn . .
A 79-Year-Old Mother's "Beijing Dream": Young Man Charters Van to Bring 15 Family Members to...
纽约市的人口有多少？
Niǔyuē Shì de rénkǒu yǒu duōshao?
How large is the population of New York City?
你喜欢什么口味的咖啡？浓的黑咖啡？
Nǐ xǐhuan shénme kǒuwèi de kāfēi? Nóng de hēi kāfēi?
How do you like your coffee? Strong and black?
博物馆的入口在哪？
Bówùguǎn de rùkǒu zài nǎ?
Where's the entrance to the museum?
在门口的女孩是谁？
Zài ménkǒu de nǚhái shì shéi?
Who's the girl at the door?
Character Family
口 Radical Family — Characters sharing the mouth radical
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 口 (kǒu) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 口 have?
What is the radical of 口?
What are the components of 口?
What are common words containing 口?
What characters sound the same as 口 (kǒu)?
Is 口 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 口 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.