thick; deep; generous
HSK level
厚 is written with 9 strokes. The animation replays automatically.
厚 (hòu) is an adjective whose core meaning is 'thick' — describing the depth of a flat object measured from one surface to the other: a thick book, a thick blanket, a thick slice.
From this physical sense it extends metaphorically to mean 'deep' or 'profound' (深厚的感情 = deep feelings), 'generous / kind' (厚道 = decent and generous), and 'rich / strong' in flavor (味道很厚). Its direct antonym is 薄 (báo), 'thin.'
A key contrast with English: 厚 measures depth-through, not diameter — a thick book or thick wall is 厚, but a thick rope or thick tree trunk uses 粗 (cū, 'thick around'). So English 'thick' splits into 厚 (flat, layered things) versus 粗 (cylindrical things) in Chinese.
Note: The literal 'thick' sense is everyday; the figurative senses (deep affection, generous, rich flavor) appear more in written or literary contexts.
这本书很厚。
Zhè běn shū hěn hòu.
This book is very thick.
spoken
冬天要盖厚一点的被子。
Dōngtiān yào gài hòu yìdiǎn de bèizi.
In winter you need a thicker quilt.
spoken
他们两个人的感情很深厚。
Tāmen liǎng ge rén de gǎnqíng hěn shēnhòu.
The two of them have very deep feelings for each other.
written
这块牛排切得太厚了。
Zhè kuài niúpái qiē de tài hòu le.
This steak was cut too thick.
spoken
粗 is 'thick around / wide in diameter' — for ropes, poles, tree trunks, and fingers. 厚 is 'thick through' — for flat, layered things like books, walls, and cloth. English 'thick' covers both; Chinese keeps them separate.
后 (hòu) means 'behind / after / later' and is far more frequent. 厚 (hòu, thick) sounds identical but is a physical adjective. Same pinyin, unrelated meanings.
候 appears in 时候 (shíhou, 'time') and 气候 (qìhòu, 'climate') and means 'to wait / a period.' It shares the sound but not the meaning of 厚 (thick).
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