姑 meaning and stroke order
Father's sister; husband's mother
How to write 姑, 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
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Meaning of 姑
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- paternal aunt
- husband's sister
- husband's mother (old)
- nun
- for the time being (literary)
How 姑 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. An older 古 woman 女; 古 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 女 (woman), shared by 156 characters on this site.
How to remember 姑
姑 combines 女 (woman) with 古 (gǔ, old). Picture an older woman in the family, like your father's sister, and note that 古 also hints at the sound gū.
Today 姑 mostly appears in family words like 姑姑 (gūgu) and 姑妈 (gūmā) for a paternal aunt, and in the very common word 姑娘 (gūniang) for a girl or young woman. Example: 那个姑娘是我的同学。 (Nàge gūniang shì wǒ de tóngxué.) That girl is my classmate.
Common mistake: Learners often say 姑娘 with two full tones, but the 娘 is usually neutral tone in everyday speech: gūniang. Also do not mix up 姑 (gū) with 故 (gù, reason or former), which shares 古 but has 攵 on the right.
Common words with 姑
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
姑 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 姑
Learning 姑 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 姑
How many strokes are in 姑?
姑 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 姑 mean?
姑 (gū) means father's sister; husband's mother. A common word with it is 姑娘 (gūniang), meaning "girl; young woman".
How do you pronounce 姑?
姑 is pronounced gū, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 姑?
The radical of 姑 is 女, which carries the idea of "woman". Dictionaries list 姑 under this radical.
Is 姑 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 姑 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 姑姑 and 阿姨?
姑姑 (gūgu) is specifically your father's sister. 阿姨 (āyí) is your mother's sister, and it is also a polite way to address any woman of your parents' generation.
What does 姑且 mean and how is it used?
姑且 (gūqiě) means for the time being or tentatively, and it comes from the literary sense of 姑. It sounds a bit formal, as in 姑且试一试 (gūqiě shì yi shì), let's give it a try for now.