The character 高 — “tall”: how to write it and what it means
tall, high
The Chinese character 高 is read gāo and means “tall, high”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 高
高 has 10 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 高, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 高 is made of
A picture of a tall tower.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 高
- 高兴gladHSK 1
- 高中high schoolHSK 2
- 身高height (in numbers)HSK 3
- 高铁high-speed trainHSK 3
- 提高raise, improveHSK 3
- 高速high-speed; expresswayHSK 4
- 高价high priceHSK 4
- 高于higher thanHSK 4
- 高考gaokao, college entrance examHSK 4
- 高温high temperatureHSK 4
- 高档high-end, upscaleHSK 5
- 高大tall and bigHSK 5
- 高度height; high (degree)HSK 5
- 高效efficientHSK 5
- 高级high-level, seniorHSK 5
- 跳高high jumpHSK 5
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 高?
高 has 10 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 高 mean?
高 means “tall, high”. It appears in 高兴 (“glad”), 高中 (“high school”), 身高 (“height”), 高铁 (“high-speed train”).
How do you pronounce 高?
高 is read gāo. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 高 have?
10 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 高 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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