構 (gòu) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

構

gòu[gou4]Tone 4

to construct, to form, to make up

HSK 4

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构

Guru Deep Dive

English · to construct, to form, to make up

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:8

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (木) should be narrower and slightly elevated, while the right phonetic component (冓) is wider and bears the main weight.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 構 uses 𣘴/冓; the simplified form retains the standard wood radical 木 and simplifies the right side.

1. Meaning

to construct or form something physical or abstract

to make up or composeliterary compositionpaper mulberry tree

VerbNeutralBound morpheme#construction#creation#structure

Sample Usage

结构
jiégòu
structure, composition
构思
gòusī
to conceive, mental conception

2. Sound

/[koʊ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51

構

gòugou4

`(51)

=gòu

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 touching the soft palate

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -o vowel group

Sounds like: rhymes with 'o' in 'go'

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

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

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops abruptly, similar to shouting a sharp 'No!' or expressing sudden realization ('Oh!').

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the fourth tone falling pitch with the second tone rising pitch (gòu vs góu).

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, authoritative downward chop with the hand, mirroring a stern command.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 8 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (木) should be narrower and slightly elevated, while the right phonetic component (冓) is wider and bears the main weight.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 構 uses 𣘴/冓; the simplified form retains the standard wood radical 木 and simplifies the right side.

4. Components

Radical 木 · Wood Radical (tree, wood)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 木 (Indicates material or wooden structure)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 冓 (original sound: gòu)

Using wood (木) to piece together and construct (冓) a framework or structure.

木 wood / material
冓 phonetic clue and meaning element of interlocking or structuring

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

9· Phonetic Root: 冓 (gòu)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the wood radical (木) indicating timber materials and (冓) which originally depicted interlaced timbers or structures.

Semantic Evolution: Evolved from the physical act of interlocking wooden beams to building or constructing anything, abstract or concrete.

Ancient architecture relied heavily on interlocking wooden joinery without nails, directly reflected in this character's origins.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

cấu

Sắc tone in Vietnamese corresponds to high entering or checked tones, similar to Mandarin Tone 4 drop.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: コウ (kō) / Kun: かま.える (kama.eru)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

구

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine gathering pieces of WOOD (木) and interlocking them together to CONSTRUCT (gòu) a treehouse fort.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

购

gòuto purchaseReplace wood radical with shells/money (贝) to buy things.

沟

gōuditch, trenchReplace wood radical with water (氵) for a drainage ditch.

构

gòuto constructUses wood (木) for building structures.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

购(gòu)

构 uses wood (木) for building; 购 uses money/shell (贝) for buying.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

這棟建築的[___]非常奇特。

Clue: jié gòu

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the right-side component with similar phonetic roots like 曹 or mixing up tone 4 with tone 1 or 3.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 构, what does it mean and how is it pronounced?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to construct/form' (gòu)?

構gòuto construct, to form, to make up

Speed:

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