每个 (měi gě) — each; every (used before nouns or as a pronoun)

Definition

pronoun

eachevery (used before nouns or as a pronoun)

Examples

每个。
měi gě Xué shēng dōu yào cān jiā kǎo shì.
Every student has to take the exam.
每个。
Zhè xiē píng guǒ měi gě dōu hěn tián.
Each of these apples is very sweet.
每个。
Wǒ men měi gě yuè kāi yí cì huì.
We have a meeting every month.

Origin

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

屮屮chè
母母mǔwoman

每 shows 母, a woman, with a top part resembling 屮. That part may represent a hairpin marking her as grown up, or a sprout marking her as ready to marry and have children.

Open 每 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 個; 个 is its simplified writing.

亻固個

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rénperson

Sound part声符shēngfú

固

固gù個ge

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 个, the form 個 pairs 亻 (person) with 固 as a sound part.

Open 个 →