How to Write 戈 (gē) — Meaning “dagger-axe; halberd”

Picture a warrior holding a halberd: the horizontal top is the blade, the slanted hook is the handle, and the small stroke at the end is the decoration or grip. Imagine the sound "gē" as the clang of metal hitting metal. This visual and sound link helps you recall both the shape and meaning.

Write in this order: horizontal stroke, diagonal hook (slanted down and then hooked upward), left-falling stroke (short and steep), and finally a dot to the right. A common mistake is making the hook stroke too flat or forgetting the final dot, which changes the character completely. Keep the proportions balanced—the hook should be the longest stroke.

戈 has only one diagonal hook stroke and a dot, while 戊 adds an extra horizontal line crossing through the middle of the hook. 戉 is very similar to 戊 but replaces the dot with a small horizontal stroke at the bottom. In meaning, 戈 is the weapon itself, while 戊 and 戉 are ancient Chinese calendrical signs or rare characters.

Today, 戈 appears mostly in compound words like '戈壁' (Gobi Desert, literally 'halberd wall') and '干戈' (war or conflict). It is a classical reference to ancient bronze weapons, and you may see it in historical texts or idioms, but it is not part of the HSK vocabulary. Culturally, 戈 symbolizes martial power and is a common element in characters related to battle.

Common words containing 戈 include: 戈壁 (gē bì) — Gobi (desert); 干戈 (gān gē) — weapons of war / conflict; 戈 (gē) — dagger-axe; halberd.