伽 meaning and stroke order
Temple; used to transliterations
How to write 伽, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 伽
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- traditionally used as phonetic for "ga"
- used to transliterate Sanskrit "gha"
- used in the transliteration of Greek letters
How 伽 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Person.
亻 gives the meaning and 加 hints at the sound.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 伽
伽 combines the person radical 亻 with 加 (jiā), which gives the sound. Picture a person 亻 adding 加 a new stretch to their yoga routine: 瑜伽 (yújiā).
伽 is almost never used alone. It appears mainly in sound-based loanwords, such as 瑜伽 (yújiā) for yoga and 伽马 (gāmǎ) for the Greek letter gamma. Example: 我每天早上练瑜伽。 (Wǒ měitiān zǎoshang liàn yújiā.) I practice yoga every morning.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 伽 with 加 (jiā, to add) or 茄 (qié, eggplant) because they share the 加 part. Remember that 伽 has the person radical 亻 on the left. Also note that the reading changes by word: jiā in 瑜伽, but gā in 伽马.
Common words with 伽
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 瑜伽 | yújiā | (loanword) yoga | |
| 伽玛 | gāmǎ | variant of 伽馬|伽马[ga1 ma3] |
伽 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 伽
How many strokes are in 伽?
伽 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 伽 mean?
伽 (jiā) means temple; used to transliterations. A common word with it is 瑜伽 (yújiā), meaning "(loanword) yoga".
How do you pronounce 伽?
伽 has more than one reading: jiā and gā. The most common is jiā, said in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 伽?
The radical of 伽 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 伽 under this radical.
How do I know whether to read 伽 as jiā, gā, or qié?
It depends on the word. Use jiā in 瑜伽 (yújiā), gā in 伽马 (gāmǎ) and other Greek letter names, and qié in older Buddhist terms that transliterate Sanskrit, such as 伽蓝 (qiélán), a Buddhist temple.
Why does the definition mention temple?
The temple sense comes from Buddhist transliterations like 伽蓝 (qiélán), which renders a Sanskrit word for a monastery. The character itself was chosen for its sound, so the meaning comes from the whole word rather than from 伽 alone.