呱 meaning and stroke order
To wail, to cry; to swear at
How to write 呱, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
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- 8
Meaning of 呱
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- used in 呱呱[gu1 gu1]
- Taiwan pr. [wa1]
- used in 呱呱[gua1 gua1]
How 呱 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 瓜 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 呱
A mouth 口 next to a melon 瓜 (guā): picture a baby with a round melon-shaped face opening its mouth to cry. The 口 tells you it is a sound, and 瓜 gives the gu/gua sound.
呱 almost never appears alone. It is mostly used in 呱呱 (gūgū), the sound of a newborn crying, especially in the set phrase 呱呱坠地 (gūgū zhuìdì), meaning to be born. Example: 他是1990年呱呱坠地的。(Tā shì yī jiǔ jiǔ líng nián gūgū zhuìdì de.) He was born in 1990.
Common mistake: Learners often read 呱 as guā in every case, but in the birth phrase 呱呱坠地 it is gū. Also do not confuse 呱 with 孤 (gū, lonely), which has 子 on the left instead of 口.
Common words with 呱
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 呱呱 | gūgū | (onom.) the crying of a baby |
Questions about 呱
How many strokes are in 呱?
呱 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 呱 mean?
呱 (gū) means to wail, to cry; to swear at. A common word with it is 呱呱 (gūgū), meaning "(onom.) the crying of a baby".
How do you pronounce 呱?
呱 is pronounced gū, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 呱?
The radical of 呱 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 呱 under this radical.
What is the difference between gūgū and guāguā for 呱呱?
Gūgū is the crying of a baby, used mainly in 呱呱坠地. Guāguā imitates the croak of frogs or the quack of ducks, and also appears in 呱呱叫 (guāguā jiào), meaning excellent or top-notch.
Why do some speakers say wā for 呱?
The dictionary notes that in Taiwan 呱 in the baby crying sense is often pronounced wā. In mainland standard Mandarin, use gū for that sense.