骨 (gū) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

骨

gū[gu1]Tone 1

bone

HSK 4

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · bone

Cached lesson

1 / 1

Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:10

Writing Balance Rule: The top portion is compressed and wide, while the bottom box-like component (月) provides a stable, balanced base.

1. Meaning

bone

frameworkskeletonmoral character or backbone

NounNeutral#anatomy#biology#body parts

Sample Usage

这块骨头很难啃。
zhè kuài gǔ tou hěn nán kěn.
This bone is hard to gnaw (meaning a difficult problem to solve).
他很有骨气。
tā hěn yǒu gǔ qì.
He has great backbone and moral integrity.

2. Sound

/[ku⁵⁵]/Tone: 55

骨

gūgu1

¯(55)

=gū

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 rises to make contact with the soft palate.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -u vowel group

Sounds like: oo sound as in 'boot'

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

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 is a high, steady musical note, just like when you sing a single high pitch without letting your voice waver.

Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 1, Tone 2, or Tone 4, it remains a high level tone. When followed by a Tone 3, it shifts slightly to a mid-high level depending on speech tempo.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse the high level tone 1 (gū) with the rising tone 2 (gú) or dipping tone 3 (gǔ).

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A steady, high horizontal line drawn in the air at eye level, matching the flat 55 pitch.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 10 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top portion is compressed and wide, while the bottom box-like component (月) provides a stable, balanced base.

4. Components

Radical 骨 · Bone Radical (Bone, skeleton structure)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 骨 (Represents skeletal structure and physical framework)

The character combines an upper crown representing skeletal joints and a lower component (originally representing flesh or a piece of bone) to denote the skeletal frame.

⺍ Upper crown representing joints
月 Lower body part component (flesh/bone)

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

5· Phonetic Root: 骨 (gū)

5. History

Liushu category: Pictogram (象形)

Origin: In Oracle Bone script, 骨 was drawn as a skeletal joint with flesh attached around it, clearly depicting a bone with joints.

Semantic Evolution: From literal animal and human bones, the meaning expanded metaphorically to framework, structure, and moral backbone or character.

Oracle bone inscriptions were actually carved on animal shoulder blades and turtle shells, meaning the character 骨 describes the very medium on which early Chinese writing was preserved!

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: コツ (kotsu) / Kun: ほね (hone)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

골

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine a skeleton wearing a cap (⺍) over its ribcage (月), standing stiff and straight like a ghostly guard going 'gū!'

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

滑(huá)

滑 has a water radical (氵) on the left meaning 'slippery', whereas 骨 is about bones and skeletal structure.

月(yuè)

月 is the moon or flesh component, while 骨 has a complex top crown (⺍) added above it.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

这只小狗正在啃[___]头。

Clue: gǔ tou

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the upper crown of 骨 with the character 曾 or writing the internal strokes incorrectly inside the lower box.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What is the primary meaning of the character 骨 and how is it pronounced with Tone 1?

Production: How do you write the 10-stroke character for 'bone' (gū)?

骨gūbone

Speed:

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