How to Write 高 (gāo) — Meaning “high; tall”

Picture a tall skyscraper with a pointed hat on top and two windows stacked below — the shape of the character looks just like that. The top dot and horizontal line are the hat, and the boxes below are the floors. This visual helps you recall that 高 means 'high' or 'tall'.

Pay attention to the proportions: the upper box should be smaller, and the lower box wider and taller. A common mistake is making the two inner 'mouth' sections the same size or writing the bottom hook too flat. Remember the stroke order: dot, horizontal, vertical, horizontal fold, horizontal, then the lower part with vertical, horizontal fold hook, vertical, horizontal fold, and final horizontal.

高兴 (gāoxìng) means 'happy' or 'glad' and is used daily to express joy, like 我很高兴 (I am very happy). 高中 (gāozhōng) means 'high school', referring to the education level before university. 高大 (gāodà) describes someone or something tall and big, such as a tall building or a person's stature.

高 is a basic adjective for 'high' or 'tall' and appears in many compound words like 提高 (to raise) and 高度 (height). It is also a common surname; for example, the famous poet 高适 (Gao Shi) from the Tang dynasty. In modern slang, 高 can imply excellence, as in 高手 (expert or master).

Common words containing 高 include: 高兴 (gāo xìng) — happy; glad; 高大 (gāo dà) — tall and big; lofty; 高中 (gāo zhōng) — high school.