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Characters, words, pinyin or English

根 gēn measure word for long, thin things

measure word for long, thin things; measure word for long; thin things; root; basis

How to remember 根: 木 tree + 艮 stubborn = measure word for long, thin things. The new homeowner pulls at the old tree, but it is stubborn, so she counts its roots with the measure word for long, thin things.

  • 352. most frequent character
  • HSK 3
  • 10 strokes
  • Radical 木

Component breakdown

根 = 木 tree + 艮 stubborn

  • 木 tree
  • 艮 stubborn
The Gushi story

The new homeowner pulls at the old tree, but it is stubborn, so she counts its roots with the measure word for long, thin things.

How it is used

  • Concrete 'root' of a plant, and the measure word for long thin things - 一根头发 (yì gēn tóufa) a hair, 一根香蕉 (yì gēn xiāngjiāo) a banana.
  • Abstract 'basis/fundamentally' fuels 根据 (gēnjù) on the basis of, 根本 (gēnběn) fundamental(ly), 根源 (gēnyuán) root cause.
  • 根本 with negation means 'not at all' - 我根本不知道 (wǒ gēnběn bù zhīdào) I had no idea whatsoever.

Words with 根

Example sentences

  • 我想买一根皮带。 Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yī gēn pídài.I want to buy a leather belt.
  • 我们根据合同来办事。 Wǒmen gēnjù hétong lái bànshì.We conduct our business in accordance with the contract.