个
个 (gè) means “general measure word”. It is made of 人 + 丨 and has 3 strokes, and is an HSK 1 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 个 into its parts
What 个 is made of
- 人 rén — person
- 丨 — vertical stroke
Origin hint: A tally 丨 of people 人 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
个 stroke order
Example sentences
我有一个妹妹。Wǒ yǒu yī gè mèimei.I have a younger sister.
你要几个苹果？Nǐ yào jǐ gè píngguǒ?How many apples do you want?
Words with 个
- 个子gèziheight
- 个人gèrénpersonal
- 个性gèxìngpersonality
- 整个zhěnggèwhole
- 个别gèbiéa few
- 个体gètǐindividual
- 各个gègèevery
- 上个月shànggèyuèlast month
- 下个月xià gè yuènext month
- 哪个nǎgewhich
- 那个nàgethat
- 这个zhègethis
Also built with 人
- 今jīnmodern
- 介jièagent
- 从cóngfrom
- 仓cānggranary
- 令lìngcommand
- 以yǐwith
- 企qǐto plan a project
- 众zhòngmultitude
- 会huìcan
- 伞sǎnumbrella
- 余yúsurplus
- 内nèiinside
Quick facts
| Pinyin | gè |
|---|---|
| Meaning | general measure word |
| Strokes | 3 |
| Radical | 丨 (vertical line, #2) |
| Pattern | Top–bottom |
| HSK | HSK 1 (exam 2025) · HSK 1 (2021) · Old HSK 1 |
Questions about 个
What does 个 mean?
个 (gè) means “general measure word”.
How many strokes does 个 have?
个 has 3 strokes.
What is the radical of 个?
The radical of 个 is 丨 (gǔn, “vertical line”), Kangxi radical number 2.
What parts make up 个?
个 is made of 人 (person) and 丨 (vertical stroke).
Which HSK level is 个?
个 is in HSK 1 (exam 2025) and HSK 1 (2021) and Old HSK 1.
Learn 个 with its group
It is part of HSK 1 (2021) · Group 9: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.