Question 1

How is the character 觏 (gòu) structured, and how do its parts relate to the meaning?

Accepted Answer

觏 is composed of the radical 见 (jiàn, 'to see') on the left and the phonetic component 冓 (gòu) on the right. The left part 见 indicates that the character relates to seeing or meeting, while the right part provides the pronunciation. Together, they create the meaning 'to meet' or 'to encounter' because meeting someone involves seeing them.

Question 2

What is a good memory trick to remember 觏?

Accepted Answer

Think of the sound 'gòu' as similar to 'go,' and imagine you need to 'go see' someone you have a meeting with. The left side 见 (see) reminds you of the action of seeing, and the right side 冓 looks a bit like two people facing each other. So you can remember: 'Go see, meet up.'

Question 3

What should I watch out for when writing 觏?

Accepted Answer

The left part 见 has 7 strokes and should be written narrower, while the right part 冓 is more complex with 7 strokes as well. A common mistake is writing the right part too loosely; it consists of a horizontal line, then two '口' shapes stacked vertically, and finally a 力-like bottom. Pay special attention to the balance so the character is not too wide.

Question 4

How is 觏 different from the similar characters 觌 and 觎?

Accepted Answer

觏 (gòu) means 'to meet' and has the right component 冓, while 觌 (dí) means 'to see' or 'to visit' and has 卖 (mài) on the right. 觎 (yú) means 'to covet' and has 俞 (yú) on the right. Visually, the right parts are different: 冓 looks like a stack, 卖 has a top cross, and 俞 includes a boat-like shape.

Question 5

觏 is a rare, literary character not found in the HSK vocabulary. It appears mainly in classical texts, poetry, or formal idioms like 罕觏 (hǎn gòu, 'rarely seen') and 觏闵 (gòu mǐn, 'to encounter misfortune'). In modern Chinese, you will almost never use it in daily conversation; it is more for understanding old literature.

Question 6

What common words use 觏?

Accepted Answer

Common words containing 觏 include: 觏见 (gòu jiàn) — To meet; to see; 罕觏 (hǎn gòu) — Rarely seen; 觏闵 (gòu mǐn) — To encounter misfortune or sorrow.

Character	觏
Pinyin	gòu (gou)
Meaning	To meet; to encounter
Strokes	14
Radical	见
Difficulty	4.2/5

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Radical
觏 (current)	gòu	14	见
觌	dí	12	见
觎	yú	13	见
觐	jìn	15	见

How to Write 觏 (gòu) — Meaning “To meet; to encounter”

Practice Writing 觏 (gòu)

How to Write 觏

What Does gòu (觏) Mean in Chinese?

Character Data

Origin of 觏

Common Words with 觏

Example Sentences

Similar Characters Comparison

Practice Writing 觏 (gòu)

Frequently Asked Questions about 觏

Characters with Radical 见

Other 14-Stroke Characters