How to Write 故 (gù) — Meaning “Reason, old, or deceased”

Imagine an ancient (古) storyteller using a stick (攵) to tap the ground while telling a story. The stick represents the action of 'telling,' and the ancient part reminds you of 'old' or 'reason.' This links to common words like 故事 (story) and 故意 (intentionally).

Write the left part 古 first, making sure it is a bit narrower than the right part 攵. In 攵, start with a left-falling stroke, then a short horizontal, a vertical downward, and finally a right-falling stroke. A common mistake is making the 古 too wide or mixing up the order of strokes in 攵.

The left side of 故 is 古 (old), while 攸 has a person radical (亻) with an extra vertical line, and 改 has 己 (self). In meaning, 故 means reason/old, 攸 means 'place' or 'that' (rare), and 改 means 'to change.' Visually, pay attention to the left component to tell them apart.

You will often see 故 in 故事 (story) and 故意 (intentionally). It also appears in 故乡 (hometown) to express emotional attachment to one's place of origin. In formal or literary Chinese, 故 can mean 'deceased' or 'old,' as in 故宫 (Forbidden City, literally 'old palace').

Common words containing 故 include: 故事 (gù shì) — Story; 故意 (gù yì) — Intentionally; on purpose; 故乡 (gù xiāng) — Hometown.