阁 meaning and stroke order
Cabinet, chamber, pavilion
How to write 阁, stroke by stroke
9 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 阁
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- pavilion (usu. two-storied)
- cabinet (politics)
- boudoir
- woman's chamber
- rack
- shelf
How 阁 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Door.
门 gives the meaning and 各 hints at the sound.
Radical: 门 (gate), shared by 47 characters on this site.
How to remember 阁
阁 is a door 门 (mén) wrapped around 各 (gè), which gives the sound. Picture each 各 person walking through the door into their own upstairs room or pavilion.
阁 appears mostly in set words rather than alone: 内阁 (nèigé) for a government cabinet, 阁楼 (gélóu) for an attic or loft, and the formal address 阁下 (géxià). It also shows up in names of old buildings and pavilions. Example: 他住在一间小阁楼里。 (Tā zhù zài yì jiān xiǎo gélóu lǐ.) He lives in a small attic.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 阁 (gé) with 搁 (gē, to put down), which adds a hand radical and has a first tone. Also do not read it with the fourth tone of its phonetic part 各 (gè); 阁 is second tone.
Common words with 阁
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
阁 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 阁
Learning 阁 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 阁
How many strokes are in 阁?
阁 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 阁 mean?
阁 (gé) means cabinet, chamber, pavilion. A common word with it is 内阁 (nèigé), meaning "(government) cabinet".
How do you pronounce 阁?
阁 is pronounced gé, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 阁?
The radical of 阁 is 门, which carries the idea of "gate". Dictionaries list 阁 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 阁?
The traditional form of 阁 is 閣. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 阁 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 阁 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 阁 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you use 阁下 (géxià) correctly?
阁下 is a very formal, respectful way to say "you," similar to "Your Excellency." It is used in diplomatic speech or formal letters, and sounds odd or joking in everyday conversation.
What does 出阁 (chūgé) mean?
出阁 literally means to leave the woman's chamber, and it is an old literary way to say a woman gets married. This comes from the sense of 阁 as a boudoir or woman's room.