口号
kǒuhào · HSK 5
slogan
📢 口号 = mouth (口) + signal/number (号) — a spoken signal: a slogan
口 means mouth and 号 means signal, sign, or call. Together they form the verbal signal a group chants — a slogan, motto, or rallying cry shouted aloud.
口 — pictograph of an open mouth
口 is one of the oldest pictographs in Chinese, originally drawn as a simple outline of an open mouth. Its core meaning 'mouth' extended naturally to 'opening' or 'entrance', as in 入口 (entrance). It also serves as a common radical in characters related to speech, eating, or apertures.
号 — mouth 口 + tiger 虎
Originally written 號, combining 口 (mouth, indicating a cry or call) with 虎 (tiger) as the phonetic and a hint at a loud roar. It first meant to shout or call out, then extended to a name, title, or signal. The simplified form 号 keeps only the upper element.