Hanzi Writer

How to Write 呷 (gā) — Meaning “to sip / to swallow”

gā 8 strokes Radical: 口

呷 (gā) means "to sip / to swallow" in Chinese. It has 8 strokes with the radical 口.

Rated 3.7/5 in difficulty (challenging).

Appears in 3+ common words including 呷一口 (gā yī kǒu), 呷茶 (gā chá), 呷汤 (gā tāng).

Due to its 8 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 呷 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 呷 - gā

Practice Writing 呷 (gā)

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How to Write 呷

The character 呷 (gā) is written with 8 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 口 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does gā (呷) Mean in Chinese?

呷 means to sip / to swallow.

Character Data

Character呷
Pinyingā (ga)
Meaningto sip / to swallow
Strokes8
Radical口
Difficulty3.7/5

Origin of 呷

呷 is a phono-semantic compound where 口 (mouth) indicates the action of sipping or swallowing, and 甲 (jiǎ, armor) provides the pronunciation (gā). The character visually combines a mouth with a pictograph of armor, suggesting the idea of taking in liquid through the mouth like a guarded sip.

💡 Memory Tip: Imagine a mouth (口) sipping a hot drink through the slit of a suit of armor (甲), making a small 'gā' sound with each careful swallow.

Common Words with 呷

呷一口 gā yī kǒu
to take a sip
呷茶 gā chá
to sip tea
呷汤 gā tāng
to sip soup

Example Sentences

他呷了一口热咖啡。

tā gā le yī kǒu rè kā fēi

He took a sip of hot coffee.

爷爷在阳台上呷茶。

yé yé zài yáng tái shàng gā chá

Grandpa is sipping tea on the balcony.

她轻轻地呷了一口汤。

tā qīng qīng dì gā le yī kǒu tāng

She took a small sip of the soup.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
呷 (current) gā 8 口
吁 xū / yù 6 口
吂 máng 6 口
吃 chī 6 口
Stroke order practice for 呷 - gā

Practice Writing 呷 (gā)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 呷 with real-time feedback.

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Frequently Asked Questions about 呷

呷 is made of two parts: the left part 口 (mouth radical) and the right part 甲 (jiǎ, meaning shell or armor). The mouth radical shows the action involves the mouth, while 甲 gives the pronunciation gā and suggests the idea of taking in something small, like a sip.

Characters with Radical 口

㕡hé卟bǔ口kǒu古gǔ句gōu/jù另lìng叨dāo/tāo叩kòu只zhī/zhǐ叫jiào

Other 8-Stroke Characters

㐭lǐn丧sāng/sàng乖guāi乳rǔ乶fǔ事shì些xiē亟jí享xiǎng京jīng