鼓 meaning and stroke order
Drum; to drum; to strike
How to write 鼓, 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.
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Meaning of 鼓
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- drum
- to drum
- to strike
- to rouse
- to bulge
- to swell
How 鼓 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Drum.
壴 gives the meaning and 支 hints at the sound.
How to remember 鼓
The left part 壴 looks like a drum on a stand, and the right part 支 looks like a hand holding a stick. Put them together and you have a hand beating a drum, 鼓 (gǔ).
On its own 鼓 means a drum, but it most often appears in words about rousing people or swelling up, like 鼓励 (gǔlì, to encourage) and 鼓掌 (gǔzhǎng, to applaud). Example: 老师鼓励我多说中文。(Lǎoshī gǔlì wǒ duō shuō Zhōngwén.) The teacher encourages me to speak more Chinese.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 攴 or 皮 instead of 支, or squeeze 壴 into 吉 by dropping the bottom part. Also keep the third tone in gǔ, not the fourth tone gù as in 故.
Common words with 鼓
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鼓励 | gǔlì | to encourage | HSK 5 |
| 鼓掌 | gǔzhǎng | to applaud; to clap | HSK 5 |
| 鼓舞 | gǔwǔ | to inspire; to encourage; to hearten; to boost (morale) | HSK 7-9 |
| 鼓动 | gǔdòng | to urge (an activity that may be beneficial, harmful or neutral); to encourage; to agitate | HSK 7-9 |
| 敲边鼓 | qiāo biāngǔ | to back sb up; to support sb in an argument | HSK 7-9 |
| 一鼓作气 | yīgǔ-zuòqì | in a spurt of energy | HSK 7-9 |
| 鼓手 | gǔshǒu | drummer | |
| 鼓起勇气 | gǔqǐyǒngqì | to summon one's courage | |
| 蒙在鼓里 | méngzàigǔlǐ | lit. kept inside a drum (idiom); fig. completely in the dark | |
| 打鼓 | dǎgǔ | to beat a drum; to play a drum | |
| 鼓声 | gǔshēng | sound of a drum; drumbeat | |
| 鼓起 | gǔqǐ | to summon one's (courage, faith etc); to puff up (one's cheeks etc) | |
| 鼓吹 | gǔchuī | to agitate for; to enthusiastically promote | |
| 打退堂鼓 | dǎtuìtánggǔ | lit. to beat the return drum (idiom); fig. to give up |
鼓 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 鼓
Learning 鼓 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 鼓
How many strokes are in 鼓?
鼓 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 鼓 mean?
鼓 (gǔ) means drum; to drum; to strike. A common word with it is 鼓励 (gǔlì), meaning "to encourage".
How do you pronounce 鼓?
鼓 is pronounced gǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the traditional form of 鼓?
The traditional form of 鼓 is 皷. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 鼓 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 鼓 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 鼓 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 鼓励 and 鼓舞?
鼓励 (gǔlì) is encouraging a specific person to do something, like telling a friend to keep trying. 鼓舞 (gǔwǔ) is more about lifting spirits or morale, often of a group, and is common in news and formal writing.
Can 鼓 mean to bulge or puff out?
Yes. 鼓 can describe something swelling out, as in 鼓着嘴 (gǔzhe zuǐ, puffing out one's cheeks) or 肚子鼓鼓的 (dùzi gǔgǔ de, a bulging belly). The same idea appears in 鼓起勇气 (gǔqǐ yǒngqì), where you puff up your courage.