HanziGuru.格 · gē
格
gē[ge1]Tone 1

standard, pattern, style, grid

HSK 3
Multiple Readings (多音字):
Guru Deep Dive

English · standard, pattern, style, grid

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Left-right
Strokes:10
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (木) must be compressed slightly to make room for the right phonetic component (各), keeping the overall square character balanced and stable.
1. Meaning

standard, rule, pattern, grid, style

square or grid on papercharacter, nature, disposition (as in 性格)to check, inspect, or investigate
Noun / Bound formNeutralBound morpheme#abstract concepts#structure#design
Sample Usage
  • 格格不入
    gé gé bù rù
    incompatible, out of place
  • 性格
    xìng gé
    personality, character
2. Sound
/[kɤ⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
格
gēge1
++
¯(55)
=gē
Initial Consonant
g
Type: Unaspirated Velar
Sounds like: hard 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
e
Vowel Group: -e vowel group
Sounds like: uh sound as in the English word 'uh-oh'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'uh'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T1 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is flat and high, like singing a sustained musical note at the top of your normal speaking range.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing it with third tone gě or fourth tone gè because the English ear struggles to maintain a steady high-level pitch without drifting.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A flat, high horizontal hand chop in the air, matching the high level pitch of Tone 1.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 10 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (木) must be compressed slightly to make room for the right phonetic component (各), keeping the overall square character balanced and stable.

4. Components

Radical 木 · Wood Radical (tree, wood, wooden structure)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 木 (indicates wooden frames, grids, or structural standards)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 各 (original sound: gè)

A wooden structure (木) built according to individual or precise measurements (各)

  • 木 wood / structural frame
  • 各 each / phonetic clue for gē
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally referred to tree branches or wooden bars meeting, extending to mean hitting, standard, or limiting frames.

Semantic Evolution: From physical wooden bars or frames into abstract concepts of rules, standards, squares on a grid, and personality frameworks.

  • Calligraphy practice paper is printed with a grid of squares known as 字格 (zìgé).
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: カク
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
격
Sound Shift Bridge: Shares root phonetic components with other words featuring 各 (gé).
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

You use WOOD (木) to build EACH (各) individual squared grid on a game board.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
客
kèguestUses roof (宀) on top instead of wood (木).
略
lüèbrief / strategyUses rice/field (田) on the left instead of wood (木).
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
客(kè)
客 has a roof radical (宀) for housing a guest; 格 has a wood radical (木) for a wooden grid frame.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
她的[___]非常开朗活泼。
Clue: xìng gé
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the left wood radical (木) with the water or metal radicals when handwriting from memory.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does 格 mean when paired with 性 in 性格 (xìnggé)?
Production: How do you write the character for 'standard/grid' (gē) with wood on the left?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

Search theme
Accent preference

Results are live YouTube search — accents and levels aren't verified.

格gēstandard, pattern, style, grid
Speed:
Searching YouTube for native pronunciation videos...
0 / 0
Watch on YouTubeMore Results on YouTube