很

hěn

very; quite

(also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element)

step (彳) + sound (艮) = very

艮 gives the sound hěn; 彳 is the step radical, originally suggesting movement or conduct. In modern use, 很 has drifted far from any literal sense and simply intensifies adjectives.

彳+艮→很
彳StepSemantic
艮StubbornPhonetic

Words with 很

不很

bù hěn

not very

很是

hěn shì

(formal) very; quite; deeply (usu. followed by a two-syllable adjective or verb)

得很

de hěn

(after an adjective) very

More characters with 彳

彻德徽屦微