寡 guǎ — widowed; alone; few · English

寡

guǎ

widowed; alone; few

At a glance · 寡

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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.

繁体「寡」从宀，頒省声（一说从宀从頒，会少之义），本义为少。隶楷承之，简体同。会意清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为少，引申为丧夫、孤寡。

Structure

会意字，从宀从頒省，会人少、稀少之意。

At a glance

Pinyinguǎ

Radical宀

Strokes14

UnicodeU+5BE1

Character type会意

Theme人伦

Six languages, one character

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

English widowed; alone; few Widowed, alone, friendless, or few.

Français veuve; seule; peu Veuve, seule, sans amis, ou peu.

Español viuda; sola; pocas Viuda, sola, sin amigos, o pocas.

العربية أرملة؛ وحيدة؛ قليل أرملة أو وحيدة أو قليل.

Русский вдова; одинокий; мало Вдова, одинокий, без друзей или мало.

Common words

寡guǎfew
寡妇guǎ fùwidow

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