给 (gěi) means "to give, for" with 9 strokes, radical 纟 (silk), HSK 1 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: to give
Other meanings:
- for
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
给 is a phono-semantic compound that does not appear in oracle bone inscriptions. The silk radical 糸 on the left gives the semantic field of threads and the act of supplying cloth, while 合 on the right provides the phonetic element and contributes the notion of joining or bringing together. The original concrete sense was supplying silk or fabric as provisions.
Form evolution
Seal script shows 糸 as a bundled thread on the left and 合 (a lid 亼 over a mouth 口) on the right, suggesting something closed or matched. Clerical script squared the silk radical and regularised 合 into its familiar triangular top. Modern simplified 给 replaces 糸 with the three-stroke 纟, and the traditional form 給 is still used in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
How the meaning evolved
The classical meaning was to supply or provide, especially provisions or cloth, seen in 供给 (to provide) and 补给 (supplies). From supplying material goods the meaning broadened to giving in general, which became the dominant modern sense gěi. A second reading jǐ preserves the older, more formal meaning of supplying or furnishing.
Cultural note
The two readings create a common learner trap: 给 is gěi in everyday speech (给我 'give me') but jǐ in formal compounds like 供给 (gōngjǐ) and 自给自足 (zìjǐ zìzú, self-sufficient). Reading a classical or news text aloud with the wrong tone is a giveaway that the learner only knows the colloquial register.
Mnemonic
Silk threads joined together — to give
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 | gěi |
| Meanings | to give, for |
| Stroke count | 9 strokes |
| Radical | 纟 (#120: silk) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1 |
| Frequency | #588 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 给
Related characters
Similar meaning (action)
On the new HSK 1 exam
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Frequently Asked Questions
Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.