How to Write 告 (gào) — Meaning “to tell; to inform; to sue”

Picture a cow (top part) with its mouth (bottom part) wide open, mooing to tell you something important. This visual of a cow 'telling' you helps link the shape to the meaning of 'to tell'.

Write the top part like 牛 with two horizontal lines and one vertical line, then add the mouth below. A common mistake is making the vertical line too long, so keep it short so the mouth fits neatly underneath, and make sure the mouth is slightly wider than the top part.

告 has a 'cow' on top (two horizontal lines and a vertical), while 古 has a 'ten' (one horizontal crossing a vertical) above the mouth. 卟 has a 'divination' symbol (卜) on top of the mouth, and is very rare, so you won't see it often.

告 is most common in words like 告诉 (to tell), 广告 (advertisement), and 报告 (report). In daily life, you'll see 广告 everywhere on signs and TV, and 告诉 is used all the time when sharing information with others.

Common words containing 告 include: 告诉 (gào sù) — to tell; to inform; 广告 (guǎng gào) — advertisement; ad; 报告 (bào gào) — report; to report.