Meaning of 孤独
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- lonely
- solitary
How to use 孤独
孤独 describes a lasting inner feeling of being lonely or cut off, and it often sounds literary or serious. It can follow 很 or 感到, or act as a noun, as in 孤独感 (a sense of loneliness). Example: 他一个人在国外，常常感到孤独。(Tā yí gè rén zài guówài, chángcháng gǎndào gūdú.) He lives abroad alone and often feels lonely.
孤 (gū) has 子 (child) on the left, and you see it in 孤儿 (gū'ér), an orphan, a child left alone. 独 (dú) means alone, as in 独自 (dúzì), so 孤独 stacks two kinds of aloneness into one word for deep loneliness.
Common mistake: Learners often use 孤独 just to mean physically alone, but that is 独自 (dúzì) or 单独 (dāndú), as in 我独自去 (I go alone). Also keep 孤 (gū) distinct from 狐 (hú, fox), which has the animal radical 犭 instead of 子.
孤独 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
孤 gū · orphaned · 8 strokes
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独 dú · alone · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 孤独.
| 单独 | dāndú | alone; by oneself |
| 独自 | dúzì | alone |
| 独立 | dúlì | independent; independence |
| 独特 | dútè | unique; distinctive |
| 孤儿 | gū'ér | orphan |
| 孤单 | gūdān | lone; lonely |
| 独一无二 | dúyī-wú'èr | (idiom) unique; unmatched; unrivalled |
| 独家 | dújiā | exclusive |
| 孤立 | gūlì | to isolate; isolated |
| 孤零零 | gūlínglíng | lone; isolated and without help |
| 独身 | dúshēn | unmarried; single; alone |
| 唯独 | wéidú | only; just (i.e. it is only that...) |
Questions about 孤独
What does 孤独 mean?
孤独 (gūdú) means "lonely; solitary" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 孤独?
孤独 is made of 2 characters: 孤 (8 strokes), 独 (9 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 孤独 an HSK word?
Yes. 孤独 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 孤独 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 孤独 is written 孤獨.
What is the difference between 孤独 and 孤单?
孤单 (gūdān) is lighter and more everyday, often about being alone at a certain moment or having no company. 孤独 is deeper and more lasting, closer to an emotional or even philosophical loneliness. A child left at home might feel 孤单, while a poet writes about 孤独.
Can 孤独 have a positive meaning, like enjoying solitude?
Yes, in modern Chinese people sometimes speak of 享受孤独 (xiǎngshòu gūdú), enjoying solitude. Without that kind of context, though, 孤独 usually leans negative and suggests sadness.