How to Write 去 (qù) — Meaning “to go; to leave; past”

Picture the top part 土 as a crossroad, and the bottom 厶 as a bent leg walking away. This image reminds you that 去 means 'to go'—someone walks from a crossroad to leave.

First write the top 土 with three strokes: horizontal, vertical, then horizontal. Then write a left-falling stroke that bends to the right, and finally a dot. A common mistake is making the bottom look like 幺 (yāo) instead of 厶.

The top of 去 is 土 (earth), with a vertical line through the top horizontal. 厷 has only a single horizontal line on top (一) followed by 厶, and 厹 has a top that looks like 九 (nine). So focus on the top part to tell them apart.

去 is a common verb meaning 'to go' or 'to leave', as in 我去学校 (I go to school). It also appears in words like 去年 (last year) and directional phrases like 回去 (go back). In daily conversation, it often follows another verb to show movement away—for example, 走去 (walk away).

Common words containing 去 include: 去年 (qù nián) — last year; 回去 (huí qù) — To go back.; 过去 (guò qù) — past; to go over.