瓜 meaning and stroke order
Melon; gourd; squash; (slang) a piece of gossip
How to write 瓜, stroke by stroke
5 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
Meaning of 瓜
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- melon; gourd; squash
- (slang) a piece of gossip
How 瓜 is built
Pictographic character. Vines growing with a melon at their base.
How to remember 瓜
瓜 (guā) is a picture of vines hanging down with a melon at their base. The small 厶 shape in the middle is the round melon, wrapped by the curving vine strokes on each side.
瓜 appears in the names of many melons and gourds, such as 西瓜 (xīguā) watermelon, 黄瓜 (huángguā) cucumber and 南瓜 (nánguā) pumpkin. In internet slang, 瓜 means a piece of gossip, and 吃瓜 (chī guā) means watching drama from the sidelines. Example: 夏天我喜欢吃西瓜。(Xiàtiān wǒ xǐhuan chī xīguā.) I like eating watermelon in summer.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 瓜 (guā) with 爪 (zhǎo, claw). 瓜 has the extra 厶 piece and a final dot-like stroke inside, while 爪 has no enclosed part in the middle.
Common words with 瓜
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 西瓜 | xīguā | watermelon | HSK 4 |
| 黄瓜 | huángguā | cucumber | HSK 4 |
| 傻瓜 | shǎguā | idiot; fool | HSK 7-9 |
| 南瓜 | nánguā | pumpkin | HSK 7-9 |
| 瓜分 | guāfēn | to partition; to divide up | HSK 7-9 |
| 瓜子 | guāzǐ | melon seed; seeds of pumpkin, watermelon or sunflower etc, roasted and flavored, consumed | HSK 7-9 |
| 瓜葛 | guāgé | connection; association | |
| 呆瓜 | dāiguā | idiot; fool | |
| 木瓜 | mùguā | papaya (Carica papaya); genus Chaenomeles of shrubs in the family Rosaceae | |
| 苦瓜 | kǔguā | bitter melon (bitter gourd, balsam pear, balsam apple, leprosy gourd, bitter cucumber) | |
| 甜瓜 | tiánguā | muskmelon | |
| 脑瓜 | nǎoguā | skull; brain |
瓜 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 瓜
Learning 瓜 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 瓜
How many strokes are in 瓜?
瓜 is written with 5 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 瓜 mean?
瓜 (guā) means melon; gourd; squash; (slang) a piece of gossip. A common word with it is 西瓜 (xīguā), meaning "watermelon".
How do you pronounce 瓜?
瓜 is pronounced guā, in the first tone (high and level).
Is 瓜 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 瓜 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
Why does 傻瓜 (shǎguā) mean fool?
傻 means silly, and 瓜 is used here as a playful word for a person, a bit like calling someone a dummy in English. 呆瓜 (dāiguā) works the same way. It is usually teasing rather than seriously insulting.
What does 瓜子 (guāzǐ) refer to in everyday life?
瓜子 are roasted, flavored seeds, often sunflower, watermelon or pumpkin seeds, that people crack open and snack on. They are very common at Chinese New Year and social gatherings. This snack is also linked to the slang 吃瓜, since people imagine onlookers eating seeds while watching gossip.