What does 革 mean in Chinese?

革 (gé) means "leather, to reform" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 5.

How do you write 革?

Use the interactive stroke-order tool to see how 革 is written.

What is the radical of 革?

The radical of 革 is 革 (leather, Kangxi radical #177). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 鞋.

How many strokes does 革 have?

Stroke count information for 革 is being updated.

What HSK level is 革?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 革 is a character to recognise at HSK 5.

革 (gé): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

革

gé

leather, to reform

HSK 5 character Radical: 革 (leather)

Quick Answer

革 (gé) means "leather, to reform" with radical 革 (leather), HSK 5 on the new exam.

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

Pronunciation

gé

Meaning

Primary: leather

Other meanings:

to reform

Basic info

Pinyin	gé
Meanings	leather, to reform
Radical	革 (#177: leather)
New HSK exam	Recognise at HSK 5
Frequency	#572 most common

Example sentences

经济改革带来了巨大变化。
Jīngjì gǎigé dàilái le jùdà biànhuà.
Economic reform has brought huge changes.
From 改革 (HSK 5)
辛亥革命推翻了清朝。
Xīnhài gémìng tuīfān le Qīngcháo.
The Xinhai Revolution overthrew the Qing Dynasty.
From 革命 (HSK 6)
技术革新推动了发展。
Jìshù géxīn tuīdòng le fāzhǎn.
Technological innovation drives development.
From 革新 (HSK 7-9)

Words containing 革

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
改革	gǎigé	reform	HSK 5
革	gé	leather, to reform
革命	gémìng	revolution, revolutionary	HSK 6
革新	géxīn	to innovate, innovation	HSK 7-9

Related characters

Share the 革 (leather) radical

鞋

See all characters with the 革 radical →

On the new HSK 5 exam

Studying for HSK 5? Keep 革 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

Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.

革

gé