狗 meaning and stroke order
Dog
How to write 狗, 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.
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Meaning of 狗
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- dog
How 狗 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Dog.
犭 gives the meaning and 句 hints at the sound.
Radical: 犭 (dog), shared by 88 characters on this site.
How to remember 狗
The left side 犭 is the animal radical, so 狗 is an animal. The right side 句 (jù) gives the sound, so picture a dog barking out a whole 句 (sentence) at you.
狗 (gǒu) is the everyday word for dog, and its measure word is usually 只 (zhī) or 条 (tiáo). Kids and pet owners often say 狗狗 (gǒugou) to sound cute. Example: 我家有一只小狗。(Wǒ jiā yǒu yì zhī xiǎogǒu.) My family has a puppy.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 可 or 勾 instead of 句. Check that it is 勹 wrapping 口. Also note that many 狗 words are insults, such as 狗屁 (gǒupì) and 走狗 (zǒugǒu), so calling a person 狗 is rude.
Common words with 狗
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 狗屎 | gǒushǐ | canine excrement; dog poo | |
| 小狗 | xiǎogǒu | pup; puppy | |
| 狗屁 | gǒupì | bullshit; nonsense | |
| 狗狗 | gǒugōu | (coll.) dog; doggie | |
| 热狗 | règǒu | hot dog (loanword) | |
| 走狗 | zǒugǒu | hunting dog; hound | |
| 狗日 | gǒurì | lit. fucked or spawned by a dog; contemptible | |
| 疯狗 | fēnggǒu | rabid dog; (fig.) vicious dog; aggressive dog | |
| 狗崽子 | gǒuzǎizi | (coll.) puppy; (derog.) son of a bitch | |
| 野狗 | yěgǒu | wild dog; feral dog | |
| 猎狗 | liègǒu | hunting dog | |
| 遛狗 | liùgǒu | to walk a dog | |
| 狗仔队 | gǒuzǎiduì | paparazzi | |
| 流浪狗 | liúlànggǒu | stray dog |
狗 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 狗
How many strokes are in 狗?
狗 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 狗 mean?
狗 (gǒu) means dog. A common word with it is 狗屎 (gǒushǐ), meaning "canine excrement; dog poo".
How do you pronounce 狗?
狗 is pronounced gǒu, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 狗?
The radical of 狗 is 犭, which carries the idea of "dog". Dictionaries list 狗 under this radical.
Is 狗 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 狗 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What is the difference between 狗 and 犬?
狗 (gǒu) is the normal spoken word for dog. 犬 (quǎn) is more formal or literary and appears in set terms like 警犬 (jǐngquǎn, police dog).
Is 狗 one of the Chinese zodiac animals?
Yes. The Year of the Dog is 狗年 (gǒu nián), and someone born that year can say 我属狗 (wǒ shǔ gǒu), I was born in the Year of the Dog.