个
gè
measure word for general objects, individual, classifier
个 (gè) means "measure word for general objects, individual, classifier" with 3 strokes, radical 人 (person), HSK 1 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: measure word for general objects
Other meanings:
- individual
- classifier
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
个 does not appear in oracle-bone or bronze inscriptions as an independent graph. It is a late simplification, historically written 個 or 箇, both phono-semantic compounds built on 固 (gù, phonetic) with 人 or 竹 as the semantic radical. The form 个 itself began as a casual shorthand depicting a single stalk of bamboo, and some scholars link it to half of the character 竹.
Form evolution
Because 个 is a simplified form, it has no true seal or clerical ancestor of its own. The orthodox ancestor 箇 shows 竹 over 固 in seal script, and 個 shows 亻 beside 固 in clerical script. 个 emerged as a handwritten abbreviation and was formalised as the standard simplified form in the 1956 PRC character reform.
How the meaning evolved
The older 箇 originally meant a single stalk of bamboo, which extended naturally to mean 'one item' as a counter. By the Tang dynasty it was already the most general measure word in the language, gradually replacing more specific classifiers in colloquial speech. Modern Mandarin uses 个 (ge) as the default measure word for people and many common nouns, and it is often toneless in rapid speech.
Cultural note
Because 个 covers so much ground, learners sometimes default to it for every noun, but using a more specific measure word (本 for books, 张 for flat things, 只 for animals) sounds noticeably more fluent. In Taiwan and Hong Kong the traditional form 個 is still standard in print.
Mnemonic
One person standing — a single unit
Decomposition
Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.
Basic info
| Pinyin | gè |
| Meanings | measure word for general objects, individual, classifier |
| Stroke count | 3 strokes |
| Radical | 人 (#9: person) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1, write by hand at HSK 1-2 |
| Frequency | #115 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 个
Related characters
Similar meaning (abstract)
On the new HSK 1 exam
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Frequently Asked Questions
Appears in these articles
Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.