鼓 gǔ — drum · English

鼓

gǔ

drum

At a glance · 鼓

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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.

「鼓」甲骨文象鼓形及手执桴，金文小篆承之。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「鼓」本义为打击乐器（鼓），引申击鼓、激发。

Structure

从壴、从支（攴），会意字，象鼓与桴，本为鼓乐、击鼓。

At a glance

Pinyingǔ

Radical鼓

Strokes13

UnicodeU+9F13

Character type会意

Theme礼乐

Six languages, one character

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

English drum drum; beat, top, strike; Kangxi radical 207

Français tambour / battre Tambour, battre. «鼓瑟吹笙» : jouer du tambour.

Español tambor / tocar Tambor, tocar. «鼓瑟吹笙»: tocar el tambor.

العربية طبل / يضرب طبل، يضرب. «鼓瑟吹笙»: ضرب الطبل.

Русский барабан / бить Барабан, бить. «鼓瑟吹笙»: бить в барабан.

Common words

鼓gǔdrum
鼓励gǔ lìencourage

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