鉤 (gōu) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

鉤

gōu[gou1]Tone 1

hook

HSK 7

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钩

Guru Deep Dive

English · hook

Cached lesson

11. Meaning

to hook

to sewto crochethookcheck mark or tickwindow catch

verb / nounNeutral#tools#crafts#actions

Sample Usage

把衣服挂在钩子上。
bǎ yīfu guà zài gōuzi shang.
Hang the clothes on the hook.
用钩针编织。
yòng gōuzhēn biānzhī.
Crochet with a hook needle.

22. Sound

/[koʊ̯⁵⁵]/Tone: 55

鉤

gōugou1

¯(55)

=gōu

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

gou

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "o" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

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 raised against the soft palate

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -o vowel group

Sounds like: rhymes with 'oh' or the 'o' in 'go'

Mouth Shape Guide: Combine initial 'g-' (g/k) with final '-ou' (oh).

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, matching the level pitch of an opera singer warming up.

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Listening trap: Do not confuse with the 4rd tone gòu (òu), which drops sharply. This is a flat, sustained high pitch.

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Physical Tone Gesture: Imagine a steady, high-pitched note sung flat at the very top of your vocal range, like a soprano holding a high note.

33. Writing12 strokes · animate & practice

1 / 1

Topology:Left-right

Strokes:12 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left metal radical (钅) is compressed and compact, leaving ample horizontal space for the right phonetic component (句) to maintain structural harmony without leaning.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 鉤 features the complex traditional metal radical 金, which was simplified to 钅 in modern Simplified Chinese.

44. Components

Radical 钅 · metal radical (metal, mineral)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 钅 (indicates metal material, as hooks are typically made of metal)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 句 (original sound: gou)

A metal (钅) object shaped into a sentence-like curving stroke (句) forms a metal hook (钩).

钅metal radical (semantic)
句sentence / phonetic component (gōu)

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

2· Phonetic Root: 鉤 (gōu)

Characters sharing this phonetic root have similar sounds:

Phonetic Core (声旁)HSK 7Current

鉤

gōu

hook

+ 钅 (metal)HSK 7

钩

gōu

hook

55. HistoryCombined from the metal radical (金/钅) representing metallic tools and the pho...

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the metal radical (金/钅) representing metallic tools and the phonetic component 句 representing the curving shape of a hook.

Semantic Evolution: Originally denoting a metal instrument with a curved end used for catching, pulling, or hanging objects. Over time, it expanded to mean actions like hooking, crocheting, and drawing a check mark.

Ancient bronze hooks were prized artifacts used in clothing fasteners and weaponry.

66. SinosphereKanji (Japanese) コウ (kou)

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Kanji (Japanese)

On: コウ (kou) / Kun: かぎ (kagi)

77. MemoryYou take a piece of raw METAL (钅) and bend it into the shape of a curved GRAM...

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You take a piece of raw METAL (钅) and bend it into the shape of a curved GRAMMAR SENTENCE (句) to make a sharp FISHING HOOK (钩).

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

句(jù)

句 means sentence and lacks the metal radical (钅) on the left.

88. Mastery请把外套挂在门后的[___]上。

Active Recall Challenge

請把外套掛在門後的[___]上。

Clue: gōu

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the tones or writing the complex traditional radical 鉤 instead of the simplified 钅.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does the character 钩 mean when combined with the metal radical and 句?

Production: How do you write the word for 'hook' (gōu) using the metal radical?

🎬 Videos12 clips · real-world usage

鉤gōuhook

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