個

See also: 个

Translingual

Stroke order

Etymology

Phono-semantic compound (形聲): semantic 亻 + phonetic 固

Han character

個 (radical 9 人+8, 10 strokes, cangjie input 人田十口 (OWJR), four-corner 2620₀, composition ⿰亻固)

References

• KangXi: page 107, character 17
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 758
• Dae Jaweon: page 228, character 2
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 1, page 178, character 3
• Unihan data for U+500B

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Chinese

		-
trad.		個/箇
simp.		个

Etymology

Phono-semantic compound (形聲): semantic 亻 + phonetic 固.

The semantics may have developed along the grammaticalisation process "bamboo stalk" (箇) > "piece, item" > "classifier for every category of noun" > "possessive particle, generic particle". If so, it would then possibly be cognate with 竿 ("bamboo, rod"). Compare Tibetan མཁར་བ (mkhar ba), འཁར་བ ('khar ba, “walking stick, staff”) and Thai ก้าน (“stem, stalk”).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): gè, ge (ge⁴, ge)

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄜˋ, ㄍㄜ˙

• Cantonese (Jyutping): go³
• Hakka (Pha̍k-fa-sṳ): ke/kai
• Min Nan (POJ): kò / ê
• Wu (WT Romanisation): geq (T5); hheq (T5); eq (T4); ku (T2)

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, Beijing)⁺
    • Pinyin: gè
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄜˋ
    • Wade-Giles: ko⁴
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: geh
    • IPA ^(key): /kɤ⁵¹/

    • (file)

      
      
      
  • (Standard Chinese, Beijing)⁺
    • Pinyin: ge
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄜ˙
    • Wade-Giles: ko⁵
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: .ge
    • IPA ^(key): /g̊ə/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: go³
    • Yale: go
    • Cantonese Pinyin: go³
    • IPA ^(key): /kɔː³³/
• Hakka
  • Romanisations:
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ke/kai
    • IPA (Siyen, including Miaoli): /ke⁵⁵/, /ka̯i⁵⁵/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kò / ê
    • Tâi-lô: kò / ê
    • IPA (Taipei): /kə¹¹/, /e²³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /kə²¹/, /e¹³/
• Wu
  • (Shanghainese)
    • WT Romanisation: geq (T5); hheq (T5); eq (T4); ku (T2)
    • IPA ^(key): /g̊əʔ¹²/, /ɦəʔ¹²/, /əʔ⁵⁵/, /kɯ³⁴/
  • Note: As classifier or particle: 5geq ~ 5hheq ~ 4eq; literary: 2ku.

Middle Chinese pronunciation (個, reconstructed)
Character (個), Pronunciation 1/1
Initial: 見 (28) Final: 歌 Division: I			Openness: Open Tone: Departing (H)			Fanqie: 古賀切
Zhengzhang Shangfang	Bernard Karlgren	Li Rong	Pan Wuyun	Edwin Pulleyblank	Wang Li	Shao Rongfen
/kɑH/	/kɑH/	/kɑH/	/kɑH/	/kaH/	/kɑH/	/kɑH/

Old Chinese pronunciation (個, reconstructed)
Baxter-Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character								Modern Beijing (Pinyin)								Middle Chinese								Old Chinese								English
個								gè								‹ kaH ›								/*kˤa[r]-s/								piece, item
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter-Sagart system: Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character					No.					Phonetic component					Rime group					Rime subdivision					Corresponding MC rime					Old Chinese					Notes
個					4208					古					歌					1					箇					/*kaːls/					見儀禮鄭注

Definitions

個

1. piece, item; individual

   個人 / 个人  ―  gèrén  ―  an individual; personal

   個體 / 个体  ―  gètǐ  ―  individuality

2. size, height

   個子 / 个子  ―  gèzǐ  ―  height, stature

   個兒 / 个儿  ―  gèr  ―  size

3. separate, respective; separately, individually

   個別 / 个别  ―  gèbié  ―  individual, separate; some, a couple of

4. single, alone
5. (dialectal) one
6. The generic classifier. Used with nouns lacking specific classifiers.

   我有一個問題。 [MSC, trad.]

   我有一个问题。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ yǒu yī ge wèntí. [Pinyin]

   I have a question.

7. Alternative classifier, for nouns having specific classifiers. Often colloquial and regional. Usage varies greatly between different topolects.

   一個人 / 一个人  ―  yī ge rén  ―  one person; alone

   每個人 / 每个人  ―  měi ge rén  ―  every person, everyone

   一個井 / 一个井 [Guangzhou Cantonese]  ―  jat¹ go³ zeng² [Jyutping]  ―  a well

   一個房 / 一个房 [Guangzhou Cantonese]  ―  jat¹ go³ fong² [Jyutping]  ―  a room

   一個學校 / 一个学校  ―  yī ge xuéxiào  ―  one school

8. (Mandarin, colloquial) Particle, placed between a verb and numbers, showing that the following numbers are approximate, not accurate.

   • 他一下跑個兩三公里都不在話下。 [MSC, trad.]

     他一下跑个两三公里都不在话下。 [MSC, simp.]

     Tā yīxià pǎo ge liǎng sān gōnglǐ dōu bùzàihuàxià. [Pinyin]

     Running two or three kilometers in one go is a piece of cake for him.

   • 他們倆就差個一兩歲。 [MSC, trad.]

     他们俩就差个一两岁。 [MSC, simp.]

     Tāmen liǎ jiù chà ge yī liǎng suì. [Pinyin]

     The age difference between them is only about one or two years.

9. (Mandarin, colloquial) Particle, placed between a verb and its object or complement, adding a sense of ease, swiftness and one-offness to the action.

   • 吃個飯，洗個澡，休息休息 [MSC, trad.]

     吃个饭，洗个澡，休息休息 [MSC, simp.]

     chī ge fàn, xǐ ge zǎo, xiūxi xiūxi [Pinyin]

     have some food, have a shower and have some rest

   • 我們昨天見了個面，聊了聊近況。 [MSC, trad.]

     我们昨天见了个面，聊了聊近况。 [MSC, simp.]

     Wǒmen zuótiān jiàn le ge miàn, liáo le liáo jìnkuàng. [Pinyin]

     We met yesterday, and chatted about how we've been recently.

10. (Mandarin, colloquial) Particle used after 些.

    • 那些個年的事現在回憶起來還是記憶猶新。 [MSC, trad.]

      那些个年的事现在回忆起来还是记忆犹新。 [MSC, simp.]

      Nàxiē ge nián de shì xiànzài huíyì qǐlái háishì jìyìyóuxīn. [Pinyin]

      It feels like yesterday when I reminisce about those stories in the past.

11. (dialectal Mandarin) Particle used in some time-related words.
    • 今兒個 / 今儿个  ―  jīnérge  ―  (dialectal) today
12. (obsolete, Wu, Xiang, Gan, dialectal Cantonese, dialectal Min) (= 搿) this; that
    • 個個人 / 个个人 [Shanghainese]  ―  this person
    • 個隻鴨子勿太酥 / 个隻鸭子勿太酥 [Shanghainese]  ―  This duck hasn't been cooked long enough for it to become tender.
13. (Wu) Word-initial particle, serving as the definite article.
    • 個人今朝為啥勿來 / 个人今朝为啥勿来 [Shanghainese]  ―  Why hasn't that guy come today?
14. (obsolete, Cantonese, Wu) Possessive particle. Equivalent to Mandarin 的.

    → 嘅 (Cantonese), 格 (Wu)

    • 我個小囡 / 我个小囡 [Shanghainese]  ―  my child

    • 住響你屋企個陳先生係乜嘢人嚟呀？ [Guangzhou Cantonese, trad.]

      住响你屋企个陈先生系乜嘢人嚟呀？ [Guangzhou Cantonese, simp.]

      Zyu⁶ hoeng² nei⁵ nguk¹ kei² go³ can⁴ sin¹ saang¹ hai⁶ mat¹ je⁵ jan⁴ lai⁴ aa³? [Jyutping]

      Who is that Mr. Chan that lives at your house?

15. (dialectal) Sentence-final declarative, affirmative, or prohibitive particle. Equivalent to Mandarin 的, 了.

    • 標語勿是我寫個。 [Shanghainese, trad.]

      标语勿是我写个。 [Shanghainese, simp.]

      I didn't write that slogan.

Compounds

Derived terms

• 個別／个别

• 個個／个个

• 個兒／个儿

• 個人／个人

• 個體／个体

• 個性／个性

• 個子／个子

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (個):

•  Japanese: 個 (こ, ko)
•  Korean: 개 (個, gae)
•  Vietnamese: cá (個)

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Japanese

Kanji

個

(grade 5 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. This entry needs a definition. Please add one, then remove {{defn}}.

Readings

• Goon: か (ka)
• Kan’on: か (ka)
• Tōon: こ (ko)
• Kun: こ (ko)

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Korean

Hanja

個 (gae) (hangeul 개, McCune-Reischauer kae)

1. This entry needs a definition. Please add one, then remove {{defn}}.

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Vietnamese

Han character

個 (cá, cái)

1. This entry needs a definition. Please add one, then remove {{defn}}.

References

• Nom Foundation