鴿 meaning and stroke order
Pigeon, dove; Columba species (various)
How to write 鴿, stroke by stroke
17 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 鴿
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- pigeon; dove
How 鴿 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Bird.
鳥 gives the meaning and 合 hints at the sound.
Radical: 鳥 (bird), shared by 78 characters on this site.
How to remember 鴿
鴿 is a bird 鳥 (niǎo) on the right with 合 (hé) on the left. 合 gives the sound and also means "come together," so picture pigeons that always gather together in a flock.
In everyday speech the character almost always appears in 鸽子 (gēzi), the simplified form, meaning pigeon or dove. Doves are also a symbol of peace, as in 和平鸽 (hépínggē). Example: 广场上有很多鸽子。(Guǎngchǎng shang yǒu hěn duō gēzi.) There are many pigeons in the square.
Common mistake: Learners often read 鴿 as hé because of the phonetic part 合, but the correct reading is gē with a first tone. Also note that 鸽子 is pronounced gēzi, with 子 in the neutral tone.
Common words with 鴿
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鴿子 | gēzi | pigeon; dove | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 鴿
How many strokes are in 鴿?
鴿 is written with 17 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 鴿 mean?
鴿 (gē) means pigeon, dove; Columba species (various). A common word with it is 鸽子 (gēzi), meaning "pigeon; dove".
How do you pronounce 鴿?
鴿 is pronounced gē, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 鴿?
The radical of 鴿 is 鳥, which carries the idea of "bird". Dictionaries list 鴿 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 鴿?
鴿 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 鸽, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Does Chinese distinguish between pigeon and dove?
Not really. 鸽子 (gēzi) covers both pigeons and doves. Context tells you which one is meant, such as 和平鸽 (hépínggē) for the peace dove.
What does 放鸽子 mean?
放鸽子 (fàng gēzi) literally means "to release pigeons," but in casual speech it means to stand someone up or break a plan at the last minute. For example, 他又放我鸽子了 (Tā yòu fàng wǒ gēzi le) means "He stood me up again."