What does 过 mean in Chinese?

过 (guò) means "to pass, over" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 2.

How do you write 过?

过 is written with 6 strokes, starting from the 辶 (walk) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 过?

The radical of 过 is 辶 (walk, Kangxi radical #162). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 道, 通, 运, 近.

How many strokes does 过 have?

The Chinese character 过 has 6 strokes.

What HSK level is 过?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 过 is a character to recognise at HSK 2 and to write by hand at HSK 2 (the handwriting list HSK 1 and 2 share).

过 (guò): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

过

guò

to pass, over

HSK 2 character 6 strokes Radical: 辶 (walk)

Quick Answer

过 (guò) means "to pass, over" with 6 strokes, radical 辶 (walk), HSK 2 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 过 →Animated stroke-order for 过 →

Pronunciation

guò

Meaning

Primary: to pass

Other meanings:

over

Etymology

Oracle-bone origin

过 is a phono-semantic compound not attested in oracle bone script in its current form. The traditional form 過 combines the semantic radical 辵 (walking, now written as 辶) with the phonetic component 咼 (guō), which itself depicts a slanted or twisted mouth or bone joint. The simplified form 过 replaces 咼 with 寸 for stroke economy during the 1950s reforms.

Form evolution

The character appears in bronze inscriptions and small seal script as 過 with the 辵 radical on the left and 咼 on the right. In clerical script the 辵 radical was regularised into the 辶 walking enclosure seen in modern 楷书. The PRC simplification replaced the complex phonetic 咼 with 寸, yielding the modern 过 used on the mainland, while Taiwan and Hong Kong retain 過.

How the meaning evolved

The original sense was to cross over or pass by a place on foot, directly tied to the 辵 radical. From physical passage the meaning extended to passing in time (to spend time, to celebrate a date), to exceeding a limit (too much, excessive), and to the grammaticalised aspect marker 过 indicating completed experience. The experiential aspect use is a late development particular to Mandarin.

Cultural note

The idiom 过犹不及 (going too far is as bad as not going far enough) preserves the excess sense and comes from the Analects. Learners often confuse the aspect marker 过 with 了; 过 marks that an experience has happened at some point, while 了 marks completion of a specific event.

Mnemonic

Walking past a measure — to pass, to cross

Decomposition

过=寸component+辶radical

Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.

Basic info

Pinyin	guò
Meanings	to pass, over
Stroke count	6 strokes
Radical	辶 (#162: walk)
New HSK exam	Recognise at HSK 2, write by hand at HSK 1-2
Frequency	#64 most common

Example sentences

我去过中国。
Wǒ qùguo Zhōngguó.
I have been to China.
From 过 (HSK 2)
我很难过。
Wǒ hěn nánguò.
I'm very sad.
From 难过 (HSK 3)
过去我很忙。
Guòqù wǒ hěn máng.
In the past, I was very busy.
From 过去 (HSK 2)

Words containing 过

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
过	guò	to pass, over	HSK 2
经过	jīngguò	After, through	HSK 3
过去	guòqù	Past times	HSK 2
难过	nánguò	sad	HSK 3
不过	búguò	However	HSK 4
超过	chāoguò	Exceed	HSK 4
过程	guòchéng	process	HSK 4
通过	tōngguò	through	HSK 4
度过	dùguò	Spend
过敏	guòmǐn	allergy	HSK 5
过分	guòfèn	excessive	HSK 5
过期	guòqī	Be overdue	HSK 5
穿过	chuānguò	to pass through	HSK 6
错过	cuòguò	to miss (opportunity)	HSK 4
渡过	dùguò	to cross, to tide over

Related characters

Don't confuse with

达

过 (guò) ≠ 达 (dá), to reach

还

过 (guò) ≠ 还 (huán), to return

Share the 辶 (walk) radical

道dào 通运近jìn 还huán 送sòng 这zhè 远yuǎn

See all characters with the 辶 radical →

Similar meaning (action)

出to go out 动to move 打to hit 到to arrive 作to do 放to put 学to study 保

On the new HSK 2 exam

Studying for HSK 2? Keep 过 with the rest of your level.

HSK Lord schedules your reviews so each character comes back right before you would forget it. Free to start, and it picks up where you are.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.