个
gè
- Pinyin
- gè
- Pinyin (Plain)
- ge
- Tone
- 4
- Strokes
- 3
- Radical
- 丨
- Readings
- gègeTone: 4used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]Order: 0Primary
- Stroke Order Code
- Speed
- Stroke Order Data
- ["M 519 700 Q 531 724 551 744 Q 560 750 558 760 Q 557 770 543 784 Q 507 815 475 811 Q 465 808 468 795 Q 486 692 300 485 Q 296 482 293 478 Q 241 423 110 316 Q 100 312 112 308 Q 178 317 306 429 Q 387 504 505 679 L 519 700 Z", "M 505 679 Q 614 538 756 391 Q 777 367 812 369 Q 933 373 971 381 Q 983 384 984 389 Q 984 395 967 402 Q 790 456 742 495 Q 639 579 519 700 C 498 721 487 703 505 679 Z", "M 472 486 Q 500 441 475 153 Q 474 143 472 131 Q 471 103 467 91 Q 454 37 508 -19 Q 509 -20 512 -22 Q 524 -23 529 -10 Q 535 8 536 92 Q 529 386 540 455 Q 541 468 535 474 Q 511 495 492 504 Q 479 508 470 500 Q 464 496 472 486 Z"]
- Meaning
- “个” is the most common measure word in Chinese, used before many nouns to count them (for example, “一个人” = “one person”). It can also mean “individual” or “separate” when referring to a single person or thing.
- Metadata
- Locale: enCached At: 5/8/2026, 12:21:42 PM
Usage
“个” (gè) is most commonly used as a **general measure word** in modern Mandarin. Learners usually first meet it after numbers or demonstratives to count or specify nouns: 一个学生 (one student), 那个人 (that person), 三个苹果 (three apples). It’s often used when you don’t know or don’t need the specific measure word for something, especially in beginner-level communication. While more precise measure words exist (like 本 for books or 张 for flat things), “个” is widely accepted in everyday speech for many objects and people, so learners quickly rely on it as a “default” classifier. In addition, “个” appears inside many very common words and patterns. It’s part of pronouns like 这个 (this one), 那个 (that one) and questions like 哪个 (which one), and also in expressions about time or amount, such as 一个星期 (one week), 一个月 (one month), or 这个星期 (this week). It can also mark emphasis or topics in spoken Chinese, as in 我个人觉得… (“I personally think…”), where 个人 literally means “individual person.” Overall, learners mostly experience “个” as an everyday, high-frequency tool for counting, pointing out, or specifying people and things.
Handwriting Notes
个 is visually simple but behaves a bit differently in handwriting than in printed fonts. In print it looks like a vertical line with a small “roof” or hook-like top inside an outer shape, but when written by hand it often becomes more compact and slightly rounded, with the enclosing stroke and inner stroke flowing together more naturally. The outer “frame” may look less boxy and more like a tapered curve, and the inner vertical line can be shorter or slightly slanted. Some people write it with a very clear separation between the outer and inner strokes, while others let the top part and the inner line almost merge into a single, continuous motion, especially when writing quickly. These small variations in angle, length, and curvature are normal and still easily readable to native users. Modern AI handwriting recognition systems are trained on a wide variety of such handwritten styles so they can reliably identify 个 even when it is written quickly, loosely, or with individual quirks.
Description
个 (gè) is one of the most common measure words (classifiers) in Mandarin, used for counting or referring to people and many everyday objects (e.g., 一个学生 “one student”). It can also mean “individual” or “each” in some contexts.
Common Words
- 个ge3used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]
- 个儿ge4 r5size
- 个头ge4 tou2size
- 多个duo1 ge5many
- 各个ge4 ge4every
Example Sentences
我喜欢个。
wo3 xi3 huan5 ge3
I like used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5].
个儿很常见。
ge4 r5 hen3 chang2 jian4
个儿 is very common.
我们在学习个头。
wo3 men5 zai4 xue2 xi2 ge4 tou2
We are learning size.
这个多个很重要。
zhe4 ge5 duo1 ge5 hen3 zhong4 yao4
This many is important.
请写一下“个”。
qing3 xie3 yi1 xia4 ge3
Please write '个'.