跟 (gēn) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

跟

gēn[gen1]Tone 1

heel / to follow / with

HSK 1

Guru Deep Dive

English · heel / to follow / with

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:13

Writing Balance Rule: The left component (足 foot radical) is narrower and compressed, leaving ample room for the right phonetic component (艮).

1. Meaning

heel (of the foot); to follow closely; with

to go withcompared withtowardsand (joining two nouns)

Preposition / Verb / NounNeutral#body parts#movement#prepositions#connections

Sample Usage

你跟不跟我去？
nǐ gēn bù gēn wǒ qù?
Are you coming with me or not?
鞋跟断了。
xié gēn duàn le.
The shoe heel broke.

2. Sound

/[kən˥˥]/Tone: 55

跟

gēngen1

¯(55)

=gēn

Initial Consonant

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 touches the soft palate

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: -en rhymes with 'un' in 'gun'

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

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 stays flat and high throughout the syllable, matching a musical pitch.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the nasal ending '-en' with the retroflex or open endings like '-eng'. Ensure you close your mouth cleanly against the alveolar ridge with an 'n'.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 1 is high and flat, like a steady musical note held at the top of your vocal range.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 13 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left component (足 foot radical) is narrower and compressed, leaving ample room for the right phonetic component (艮).

4. Components

Radical 足 · Foot Radical (Foot, leg)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 足 (Indicates actions involving the foot, walking, or heels.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 艮 (original sound: gēn)

The foot (足) steps right behind someone, guided by the phonetic root (艮), representing following closely at someone's heels.

足 Foot (semantic radical)
艮 Stiff / stubborn (phonetic clue)

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

20· Phonetic Root: 艮 (gěn)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the foot radical (足) indicating motion or body part, and (艮) providing the phonetic reading and a sense of stopping or sticking together.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referring strictly to the heel of the foot, it naturally extended to 'following at one's heels', then broadened into a preposition meaning 'with' or 'following'.

The character bridges physical body parts and abstract grammatical prepositions seamlessly.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Your FOOT (足) is stuck stubbornly STIFF (艮) right at the HEEL, following your every step wherever you go WITH them.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

很

hěnveryUses the heart/mind radical (彳), meaning intense or emotional state.

根

gēnrootUses the wood radical (木), referring to tree roots.

眼

yǎneyeUses the eye radical (目), referring to vision.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

跟(gēn)

Do not confuse with 根 (tree root) which has the wood radical instead of the foot radical.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

我明天要[___]妈妈去超市。

Clue: gēn

Common Learner Pitfall

Using 跟 as a direct translation of the English conjunction 'and' between complete clauses or verbs. 跟 can only link nouns (e.g., 'A跟B'), not verb phrases.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does the character 跟 mean when paired with the foot radical (足) and phonetic (艮)?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to follow / with' (gēn) using its foot radical?

跟gēnheel / to follow / with

Speed:

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