鸽 (gē) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

鸽

gē[ge1]Tone 1

pigeon; dove

HSK 7

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鴿

Guru Deep Dive

English · pigeon; dove

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:11

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (合) is slightly narrower and taller, while the right side (鸟) provides stable, heavy footing with its horizontal strokes and final hook.

Simplification Logic: The right component 鳥 (bird) was simplified to 鸟, reducing complex internal eye strokes into a simple horizontal line.

1. Meaning

pigeon; dove

dove (often symbolizing peace)carrier pigeon

NounNeutral#animals#birds#symbols

Sample Usage

和平鸽
hépíng gē
dove of peace
信鸽
xìngē
carrier pigeon

2. Sound

/[kɤ⁵⁵]/Tone: 55

鸽

gēge1

¯(55)

=gē

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

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

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Velar

Sounds like: g 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, releasing a gentle voiced stop.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: -e rhymes with the 'u' sound in 'hut' or 'uh'

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

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 pitch, exactly like the musical note sustained at the top of your normal speaking range.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse Tone 1 (high level) with Tone 4 (falling), as dropping the pitch turns it into a different lexical item.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A flat, high-pitched horizontal line in the air, like singing a single steady note at the top of your vocal range.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 11 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (合) is slightly narrower and taller, while the right side (鸟) provides stable, heavy footing with its horizontal strokes and final hook.

Simplification Logic: The right component 鳥 (bird) was simplified to 鸟, reducing complex internal eye strokes into a simple horizontal line.

4. Components

Radical 鸟 · Bird Radical (birds and avian creatures)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 鸟 (indicates that this word is a type of bird)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 合 (original sound: hé / gē)

Combine the sound-provider '合' (to fit/close) with the category-provider '鸟' (bird) to represent a plump, tightly-feathered pigeon.

合 Provides the phonetic sound clue (hé/gē)
鸟 Provides the semantic meaning of a bird

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

22· Phonetic Root: 合 (gě)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Formed as a phono-semantic compound where 合 (hé) gives the approximate pronunciation and 鸟 (niǎo) classifies it as a winged animal.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred to pigeons and doves collectively, a meaning that remains stable in modern Chinese.

Pigeons have been domesticated in China for millennia for both messaging and ornamental purposes.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

A **bird** (鸟) that **fits together** (合) in a tight flock while flying across the sky is a **pigeon** (gē).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

合

gěmeasure for dry grain (one-tenth of a sheng) / 100 mlPhonetic Core (声旁)

拿

náold variant of 拿[na2]+ 手 (hand)

给

gěito give+ 纟 (silk)

哈

hǎlaughter, laugh, to scold, a Pekinese (pug)+ 口 (mouth)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

给(gěi)

给 has the thread radical (纟) meaning to give, whereas 鸽 has the bird radical (鸟) meaning pigeon.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

广场上有许多和平[___]。

Clue: gē

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the phonetic component 合 with other similar shapes, or misapplying tones by using Tone 4 instead of Tone 1.

Memory Prompts

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

Production: How do you write the character for 'pigeon' (gē) using its semantic bird radical and phonetic part?

鸽gēpigeon; dove

Speed:

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