How to Write 褂 (guà) — Meaning “jacket; gown; outer garment”

Imagine a "gown" (褂) hanging on a hook next to a fortune teller's divination signs (卦). The left side 衤 looks like a coat hanger, and the right side 卦 reminds you of the sound "gwa" — like "gown" with an accent. Picture a fancy long gown with lucky symbols to lock in the meaning.

The left radical 衤 has 5 strokes: dot, dot, vertical, horizontal hook, vertical. The right part 卦 has 8 strokes: two horizontal strokes, then 土 (earth) on top and 卜 (divination) below. Keep the left side narrow and the right side wider; don't make the 衤 too large. A common mistake is writing the 衤 with three dots instead of two — remember it's exactly two dots at the top.

褂 (guà) means a jacket or gown, especially traditional Chinese outerwear like a 马褂. 袱 (fú) means a cloth wrapper or bundle, often used in 包袱 (bāo fu, "burden"). 袴 (kù) is an old variant of 裤 (kù) meaning trousers or pants. Visually, 褂 has 卦 on the right, 袱 has 伏 (fú) on the right, and 袴 has 夸 (kuā) on the right.

褂 appears in words for traditional Chinese clothing like 大褂 (long gown) and 马褂 (Mandarin jacket, a short jacket worn over a long robe). It is still used in everyday language to refer to a jacket or coat, especially in northern China. The character carries cultural associations with Qing dynasty fashion and is common in formal or historical contexts.

Common words containing 褂 include: 大褂 (dà guà) — Long gown; 褂子 (guà zi) — traditional Chinese jacket or coat; 马褂 (mǎ guà) — Mandarin jacket.