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后 — empress; queen; monarch

empress; queen; monarch; ruler

Pinyin
hòu · Hòu
Strokes
6
HSK level
HSK 1
Handwriting
required

This character has more than one reading — hòu, Hòu — and the pronunciation depends on the word it appears in. The list below gives the syllabus reading for each word.

How to write 后: 6 strokes

Each cell adds one stroke to the previous ones, with the new stroke in red. Stroke order is not decoration: it sets the proportions of the character and makes handwriting legible to a reader. This character is on the HSK handwriting list, so the exam expects you to write it, not only recognise it.

后 — 6 strokes, in writing order from left to right.

Build a printable practice sheet with 后

Words with 后 in the HSK syllabus: 45

Every word in the official 2026 syllabus that contains this character, with the level it is introduced at. Learning a character pays off through these: each one combines with the characters you already know.

  1. 后hòuempress; queen; monarch; rulerHSK 1
  2. 后面hòumiànthe back; the rear; the last bitHSK 2
  3. 后来hòuláiafterwards; later; newly arrivedHSK 3
  4. 后年hòuniánthe year after nextHSK 3
  5. 后天hòutiānthe day after tomorrow; life after birth; acquiredHSK 3
  6. 然后ránhòuthen; after that; afterwardsHSK 3
  7. 以后yǐhòuafter; later; afterwards; following; later onHSK 3
  8. 最后zuìhòufinal; last; ultimate; finally; in the endHSK 3
  9. 后悔hòuhuǐto regret; to feel remorseHSK 4
  10. 今后jīnhòuhereafter; henceforth; in the future; from now onHSK 4
  11. 前后qiánhòuaround; from beginning to end; all aroundHSK 4
  12. 之后zhīhòuafter; behind; afterwards; since thenHSK 4
  13. 背后bèihòubehind; at the back; in the rear; behind sb's backHSK 5
  14. 此后cǐhòuafter this; afterwards; hereafterHSK 5
  15. 后果hòuguǒconsequences; aftermathHSK 5
  16. 随后suíhòuafterward; later; subsequently; following thatHSK 5
  17. 先后xiānhòuearly or late; first and last; priorityHSK 5
  18. 过后guòhòuafter the eventHSK 6
  19. 后代hòudàidescendant; progenyHSK 6
  20. 后期hòuqīlate stage; later periodHSK 6
  21. 后人hòurénlater generationHSK 6
  22. 后退hòutuìto recoil; to draw back; to fall back; to retreatHSK 6
  23. 后者hòuzhěthe latterHSK 6
  24. 落后luòhòuto fall behind; to lag; backward; to retrogressHSK 6
  25. 日后rìhòusometime; somedayHSK 6
  26. 事后shìhòuafter the event; in hindsight; in retrospectHSK 6
  27. 往后wǎnghòufrom now on; in the future; time to comeHSK 6
  28. 后备hòubèireserve; backupHSK 7–9
  29. 后备箱hòubèixiāngtrunk; bootHSK 7–9
  30. 后盾hòudùnsupport; backingHSK 7–9
  31. 后顾之忧hòugùzhīyōufears of trouble in the rear; family worriesHSK 7–9
  32. 后勤hòuqínlogisticsHSK 7–9
  33. 后世hòushìlater generationsHSK 7–9
  34. 后台hòutáibackstage area; behind-the-scenes supporterHSK 7–9
  35. 后续hòuxùfollow-up; to remarryHSK 7–9
  36. 后裔hòuyìdescendantHSK 7–9
  37. 后遗症hòuyízhèngsequelae; residual effects; repercussions; aftermathHSK 7–9
  38. 皇后huánghòuempress; imperial consortHSK 7–9
  39. 马后炮mǎhòupàomoving the cannon after moving the horse awayHSK 7–9
  40. 幕后mùhòubehind the scenesHSK 7–9

And 5 more across the higher levels — the full lists are on the level pages.

Glosses come from CC-CEDICT, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, and are the dictionary’s first sense rather than a translation chosen for context.