TraceHanzi

鉤 meaning and stroke order

gōu

Hook, barb, sickle; to hook, to link

13 strokesRadical 釒Simplified 钩
Strokes13
Pinyingōu
ToneTone 1
Frequency#4,769
Printable worksheet

How to write 鉤, stroke by stroke

13 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. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
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  13. 13

Meaning of 鉤

Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.

gōufirst tone (high and level)
  1. to hook
  2. to sew
  3. to crochet
  4. hook
  5. check mark or tick
  6. window catch

How 鉤 is built

Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A metal 釒 hook 句; 句 also provides the pronunciation.

jīngold+jùsentence

Radical: 釒 (gold), shared by 135 characters on this site.

How to remember 鉤

On the left is metal 釒, and on the right is 句 (jù), which here pictures a curved hook. Together they make a metal hook, 鉤 (gōu), and 句 also hints at the sound.

鉤 works as a noun for any hook and as a verb meaning to catch something with a hook. It appears in everyday words like 鱼钩 (yúgōu, fishhook) and 上钩 (shànggōu, to take the bait). Example: 鱼上钩了。(Yú shànggōu le.) The fish took the bait.

Common mistake: Learners often read 句 inside 鉤 as jù and say "jù", but the whole character is gōu, first tone. Also note that mainland simplified texts write it 钩, with 勾 on the right instead of 句.

Common words with 鉤

Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.

WordPinyinMeaningLevel
鉤子gōuzihookHSK 7-9
掛鉤guàgōuto couple; to link; to hook together; (fig.) (preceded by 與|与[yu3] + {entity}) to establisHSK 7-9
上鉤shànggōuto take the bait
魚鉤yúgōufishhook
鉤住gōuzhùto hook onto; to hitch onto

Questions about 鉤

How many strokes are in 鉤?

鉤 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.

What does 鉤 mean?

鉤 (gōu) means hook, barb, sickle; to hook, to link. A common word with it is 钩子 (gōuzi), meaning "hook".

How do you pronounce 鉤?

鉤 is pronounced gōu, in the first tone (high and level).

What is the radical of 鉤?

The radical of 鉤 is 釒, which carries the idea of "gold". Dictionaries list 鉤 under this radical.

What is the simplified form of 鉤?

鉤 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 钩, used in mainland China and Singapore.

What is the difference between 鉤 and 勾?

Both are read gōu, and 勾 is often used for the verb sense, as in 勾选 (gōuxuǎn, to tick a box). 鉤/钩 is the usual choice for a physical hook, such as 钩子 (gōuzi).

Can 鉤 mean a check mark?

Yes. A tick mark ✓ can be called a 钩 or 勾, as in 打钩 (dǎ gōu, to put a check mark). It is the opposite of 叉 (chā), the cross mark for wrong answers.