How to Write 镐 (gǎo) — Meaning “Pickaxe”

Imagine a tall (高) metal (钅) pickaxe standing upright in the ground. Visualize the left side as the metal head and the right side as the long handle reaching high. This picture connects the shape of 镐 to its meaning and helps you recall both the character and its pronunciation gǎo.

Pay attention to the proportions: the left 钅 is narrower and the right 高 is wider, with the top of 高 higher than the metal radical. A common mistake is forgetting the inner 口 inside 高, so write the strokes carefully: dot, horizontal, then the square 口, followed by the bottom part. The total stroke count is 15, so take your time to balance both sides.

镐 (gǎo) means pickaxe, a tool, while 锖 (qiāng) is a rare character for the tarnished color of metal, and 锗 (zhě) is the chemical element germanium. Visually, the right side differs: 镐 uses 高 (tall), 锖 uses 青 (blue/green), and 锗 uses 者 (person). So you can tell them apart by the right-hand component and the context of use.

镐 (gǎo) is commonly used to refer to a pickaxe, especially in words like 镐头 (pickaxe head) and 铁镐 (iron pickaxe). It appears in contexts like mining, construction, and farming. Note that 镐 also has another reading hào for the ancient capital 镐京, but as a tool word it is always pronounced gǎo.

Common words containing 镐 include: 镐头 (gǎo tóu) — Pickaxe head; 铁镐 (tiě gǎo) — iron pickaxe; 用镐 (yòng gǎo) — To use a pickaxe..