果 (guǒ) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

果

guǒ[guo3]Tone 3

fruit, result

HSK 1

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · fruit, result

Cached lesson

1 / 1

Topology:Single character

Strokes:8

Writing Balance Rule: Top-heavy tree crown balanced by a sturdy vertical trunk standing firmly in the center.

1. Meaning

fruit

resultoutcomeresoluteindeedif really

Noun / AdverbNeutral#food#nature#consequences

Sample Usage

我喜欢吃水果。
wǒ xǐhuan chī shuǐguǒ.
I like eating fruit.
这是努力的结果。
zhè shì nǔlì de jiéguǒ.
This is the result of hard work.

2. Sound

/[ku̯ɔ²¹⁴]/Tone: 214

果

guǒguo3

ˇ(214)

=guǒ

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 rises to touch the soft palate.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -o vowel group

Sounds like: woh sound as in woe

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

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 low and rises, similar to asking 'Really?' in English disbelief.

Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone, guǒ changes to a 2nd tone (rising 35).

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the low dipping tone with the 4th falling tone, especially in rapid speech where the dip can become flattened.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark in the air: dip down from your chest to your stomach and swing back up high.

3. Writing

Topology: Single character · Strokes: 8 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Top-heavy tree crown balanced by a sturdy vertical trunk standing firmly in the center.

4. Components

Radical 木 · Tree radical (tree, wood)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 木 (Indicates something growing on a tree, originally referring to fruit hanging from branches.)

A tree (木) topped with a heavy cluster or dot representing the ripe fruit hanging at the very top.

田 Upper box representing the crown or loaded fruit.
木 Lower tree trunk and roots.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

15· Phonetic Root: 果 (guǒ)

5. History

Liushu category: Indicative (指事)

Origin: Oracle bone scripts depict a tree (木) with a prominent dot or circle marked at the top branches, symbolizing a juicy fruit hanging from the tree.

Semantic Evolution: Originally meant tree fruit; later abstracted to mean the result, outcome, or consequence of an action (like reaping what you sow).

In classical texts, it was often used interchangeably with characters meaning 'resolute' or 'determined'.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: カ (ka) / Kun: はた.す (hata.su)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

果

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine a fruit tree (木) that has grown heavy, juicy fruits right at the top. The sweet fruit (果) is the delicious result of watering the tree.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

课

kèlessonAdded words (讠) to fruit create a lesson.

裸

luǒnakedAdded clothes (衤) to fruit to mean stripping down to bare skin.

颗

kēclassifier for small spheresAdded page/head (页) for counting round fruit-like objects.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

里(lǐ)

里 means inside and has horizontal lines inside a box, whereas 果 has a tree base (木).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

吃水[___]对身体健康很有好处。

Clue: guǒ

Common Learner Pitfall

Writing the upper part incorrectly by confusing it with 田 or confusing the stroke order of the tree trunk.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does the character 果 mean when combined with 水 (water)?

Production: How do you write the character for 'fruit / result' (guǒ)?

果guǒfruit, result

Speed:

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