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狗 (gǒu) — dog

Definition

noun
dog
Measure word · 只, 条

Examples

  • 狗。
    Wǒ yǒu yì zhī gǒu.
    I have a dog.
  • 狗。
    Zhè tiáo gǒu hěn kě ài.
    This dog is very cute.
  • 狗？
    Nǐ xǐ huan gǒu ma?
    Do you like dogs?

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
句
句jù狗gǒu
Same sound today

狗 combines 犬, meaning dog, with 句, which gives the sound.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 1500 Most Frequent Chinese WordsHSK 2.0 Level 11000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsAnimals & Mammals2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 1 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.