Writing Balance Rule: The left radical ( 亻 ) is narrow and occupies about one-third of the width, while the right component ( 古 ) is wider, balanced, and anchors the character's core structure.
1. Meaning
to estimate, to guess, to appraise
to reckonto evaluate
VerbNeutral#cognition#measurement#action
Sample Usage
我 估 计 他 快 要 来 了 。
wǒ gū jì tā kuài yào lái le .
I estimate that he is about to arrive soon.
这 个 项 目 很 难 估 价 。
zhè ge xiàng mù hěn nán gū jià .
This project is very difficult to appraise/price.
2. Sound
/[ku⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
估
gūgu1
|
++
¯(55)
=gū
Initial Consonant
g
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 raises to make contact with the soft palate (velum).
Final Rhyme
u
Vowel Group: -u vowel group
Sounds like: oo sound as in 'moon'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'oo'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T1 (55)
5 → 5 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is a high, steady musical note, matching a flat high-pitched 'Ahhh' of realization.
👂
Listening trap: Beginners often confuse the high level Tone 1 (55) with Tone 4 (51) because they let the pitch drop at the end of the syllable.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Imagine a high, flat drone note sung by an opera singer, holding your hand completely flat and high in the air.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 7 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical ( 亻 ) is narrow and occupies about one-third of the width, while the right component ( 古 ) is wider, balanced, and anchors the character's core structure.
4. Components
Radical亻 · Person Radical (human, person)
Semantic Clue (形旁):亻 (Indicates that the action is performed by a human (estimating is a human cognitive action).)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):古 (original sound: gǔ)
A person (亻) stands looking back into antiquity or ancient records (古) to make an informed guess or estimate (估).
亻 person
古 ancient / phonetic clue
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
26· Phonetic Root: 古 (gǔ)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Combined from the human signific (亻) and the phonetic/semantic element (古), representing a person pondering over something to calculate or estimate its value.
Semantic Evolution: Originally referred to assessing or guessing, which expanded to cover modern compound words like 估计 (estimate) and 估价 (valuation).
The component 古 (ancient) provides the 'gū' sound while adding a conceptual nuance of relying on past experience to make a guess.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
cô
High level tone in Mandarin roughly corresponds to ngang tone in Vietnamese.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: コ (ko) / Kun: 推ード (tsumoru) / みもの
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
고
Sound Shift Bridge: The initial 'g-' in Mandarin frequently aligns with 'k-' or 'g-' roots in East Asian language borrowings.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
A PERSON (亻) looks at an ANCIENT (古) artifact and tries to ESTIMATE (估) how much it is worth on the antique market.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
故
gùcause, reason, thereforeReplaced the person radical with 'strike/tap' (攵), changing meaning to reason or past occurrence.
固
gùfirm, solidEnclosed inside an enclosure (囗), meaning something firmly locked in place.
姑
gūpaternal auntUses the woman radical (女) instead of person, referring to a female relative.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
姑(gū)
估 has a person radical (亻) for actions done by humans (estimating), whereas 姑 has a woman radical (女) for family members (aunt).
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
我 [___] 计 这 个 周 末 会 下 雨 。
Clue: gū jì
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing the tone of 估 (gū - Tone 1) with 股 (gǔ - Tone 3), or writing the right-hand component 古 incorrectly by mixing up horizontal and vertical strokes.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see the character 估 with the person radical and ancient component, what is its primary meaning and sound?
Production: How do you write the character for 'to estimate' (gū), and what are its semantic and phonetic parts?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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估gūto estimate
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