鸽 meaning and stroke order
Pigeon, dove; Columba species (various)
How to write 鸽, stroke by stroke
11 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
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- 5
- 6
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- 9
- 10
- 11
Meaning of 鸽
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- pigeon; dove
How 鸽 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Bird.
鸟 gives the meaning and 合 hints at the sound.
Radical: 鸟 (bird), shared by 72 characters on this site.
How to remember 鸽
鸽 is built from 合 (hé) on the left and 鸟 (niǎo, bird) on the right. Picture a flock of birds that gather together (合) in the town square: pigeons.
On its own 鸽 is rare in speech. People almost always say 鸽子 (gēzi) for both pigeons and doves. Example: 广场上有很多鸽子。(Guǎngchǎng shang yǒu hěn duō gēzi.) There are lots of pigeons in the square.
Common mistake: Learners often read 鸽 as hé because of the 合 component, but the sound shifted and it is gē with a first tone. Also note that 子 in 鸽子 is neutral tone, so say gēzi, not gēzǐ.
Common words with 鸽
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鸽子 | gēzi | pigeon; dove | HSK 7-9 |
鸽 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 鸽
How many strokes are in 鸽?
鸽 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 鸽 mean?
鸽 (gē) means pigeon, dove; Columba species (various). A common word with it is 鸽子 (gēzi), meaning "pigeon; dove".
How do you pronounce 鸽?
鸽 is pronounced gē, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 鸽?
The radical of 鸽 is 鸟, which carries the idea of "bird". Dictionaries list 鸽 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 鸽?
The traditional form of 鸽 is 鴿. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 鸽 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 鸽 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 鸽 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 放鸽子 mean in Chinese slang?
放鸽子 (fàng gēzi), literally "release the pigeons", means to stand someone up or bail on plans at the last minute. Example: 他又放我鸽子了。(Tā yòu fàng wǒ gēzi le.) He stood me up again.
How do you say dove of peace in Chinese?
It is 和平鸽 (hépínggē), the dove as a symbol of peace. Chinese does not separate pigeon and dove the way English does, so 鸽 covers both.