孤 gū — orphan; solitary · English

孤

gū

orphan; solitary

At a glance · 孤

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从子（意符，幼子），瓜声，本义为幼年丧父，引申为孤单、孤立。隶楷从子从瓜，形声稳定。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为少而无父，引申为单独、孤独。

Structure

形声字，从子（意符，幼），瓜（guā）为声符。

At a glance

Pinyingū

Radical子

Strokes8

UnicodeU+5B64

Character type形声

Theme人伦

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English orphan; solitary An orphan, fatherless, or solitary.

Français orphelin; solitaire Orphelin, sans père, ou solitaire.

Español huérfano; solitario Huérfano, sin padre, o solitario.

العربية يتيم؛ وحيد يتيم أو فاقد الأب أو وحيد.

Русский сирота; одинокий Сирота, безотцовщина или одинокий.

Common words

孤gūalone
孤独gū dúlonely

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