ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

each; every; various

6 strokes · 口 — 夂 (an arriving foot) above 口 (an entrance) · HSK 3

What 各 is made of

+ =
trailing footsteps
mouth kǒu

Where 各 comes from

A foot 夂 coming down toward an opening 口 — someone arriving at a dwelling. The original sense was to arrive, preserved in 客 (guest, a visitor under a roof). Borrowed for its sound, it settled into the distributive meaning it has now: taken one at a time, each separately.

各 in Chinese culture

各 is everywhere in written and spoken Chinese: 各种 (all kinds), 各位 (everyone, addressing a room politely), 各自 (each on their own). 各有各的好 — each has its own merits — is the diplomatic way to end an argument about which thing is better.

Example

各种 gèzhǒng — all kinds of; various

这里有各种水果。
Zhèlǐ yǒu gèzhǒng shuǐguǒ.
There are all kinds of fruit here.

How to remember it

A foot arriving at a door — everyone turning up one at a time, EACH on their own.

各 originally meant 'to arrive'. That sense survives in 客 (guest) — the same arriving foot, now under a roof.

Same sound, different tones

1st gē
song
2nd gé
grid; standard
4th gè
each

Words unlocked by 各

各种 gèzhǒng
all kinds of
各位 gèwèi
everyone (polite)

Related characters

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