The character 古 — “ancient”: how to write it and what it means
ancient
The Chinese character 古 is read gǔ and means “ancient”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 古
古 has 5 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 古, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 古 is made of
On top, 十; at the bottom, 口. It hints at the sound of 估 gū, 姑 gū and 苦 kǔ.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 古
- 古代antiquityHSK 5
- 古老ancient, age-oldHSK 5
- 古典classicalHSK 6
- 古人ancients, people of the pastHSK 6
- 考古archaeology; excavateHSK 6
- 古迹historic siteHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 古?
古 has 5 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 古 mean?
古 means “ancient”. It appears in 古代 (“antiquity”), 古老 (“ancient”), 古典 (“classical”), 古人 (“ancients”).
How do you pronounce 古?
古 is read gǔ. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 古 have?
5 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 古 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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