个 (gě) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

个

gě[ge3]Tone 3

individual, classifier for general use

HSK 1

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個

Multiple Readings (多音字):

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English · individual, classifier for general use

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:10

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (亻) should be slender and compact, leaving ample breathing room for the right-hand phonetic component (򔫠 / 固 variant side).

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 個 was simplified in Mainland China to 个 by replacing the phonetic component 固 with a simplified structure utilizing a vertical stroke and a slash.

1. Meaning

general measure word for people and many everyday objects

individualsinglesize (when referring to clothing or objects)

Measure Word / ClassifierNeutral#grammar#quantifiers#daily life

Sample Usage

一个苹果
yī gè píngguǒ
one apple
一个人
yī gè rén
one person

2. Sound

/[kɤ²¹⁴]/Tone: 214

个

gěge3

ˇ(214)

=gě

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Velar

Sounds like: g sound as in 'go'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air (sounds like 'c' in Vietnamese 'cá' or 'k' in English 'skate').

Tongue & Mouth Position: Back of the tongue raised against the soft palate

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: uh sound as in 'the' or 'duh'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'uh'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T3 (214)

2 → 1 → 4 (214)

3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips down like a hesitant 'Hmm?' before rising up.

Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone syllable, it changes to a 2nd tone (rising 35). In everyday rapid speech, it frequently loses its full tone and becomes a neutral tone.

👂

Listening trap: Beginners often confuse the low dipping tone with the 4th falling tone because it is spoken so rapidly in common phrases like 'ge' (classifier).

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark in the air: dip down from your chest and curve back up to chin height.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 10 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (亻) should be slender and compact, leaving ample breathing room for the right-hand phonetic component (򔫠 / 固 variant side).

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 個 was simplified in Mainland China to 个 by replacing the phonetic component 固 with a simplified structure utilizing a vertical stroke and a slash.

4. Components

Radical 亻 · Person Radical (human, person)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 亻 (Indicates that the word relates to human counts or individual entities.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 𠂇 (original sound: ge)

A person (亻) standing tall as a singular, distinct individual unit (𠂇).

亻 person
𠂇 phonetic and structural shape indicator

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally derived from components representing a bamboo stalk or tally used for counting, later blended with the person radical (亻) to serve as a universal classifier for individuals.

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from specific counting tallies to become the ultimate, default universal counter in modern Mandarin.

It is one of the most frequently used Chinese characters in existence.
In Classical Chinese, it was used less frequently as modern classifiers emerged over centuries.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Every single PERSON (亻) is a unique individual unit, counted one by ONE using this universal tally character (个).

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

介(jiè)

介 features intersecting lines in the center without the person radical on the left.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

我有一个好朋友。[___]

Clue: gè

Common Learner Pitfall

Using '个' for nouns that require specialized measure words (like 張 for tables or 本 for books) simply because it is the most common classifier.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see the character '个', what is its primary function in a sentence?

Production: How do you write the universal counter for people and general objects?

个gěindividual, classifier for general use

Speed:

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