羔 (gāo) is a Chinese character meaning “lamb”. It is written from 𦍌 (sheep top (羊 without its vertical tail), top-left part of 羞 and 差) and 灬 (fire dots (bottom form of 火)), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “lamb”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
𦍌 + 灬
Top–bottom structure
- 𦍌 sheep top (羊 without its vertical tail), top-left part of 羞 and 差 meaning
- 灬 fire dots (bottom form of 火) · huǒ unknown
Structure from: 说文解字: 羔，羊子也。从羊，照省聲（现代字形据 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验为 𦍌+灬）
Memory aid
A little sheep (𦍌) standing over the fire dots (灬) — keep the young lamb warm. This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 羊羔yáng gāolamb羔 = gāo
- 羔羊gāo yánglamb; (fig.) an innocent, helpless person羔 = gāo
Go deeper
All readings
lamb
lamb; kid; the young of sheep and some other animals
小羊，也泛指某些动物的幼崽。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 羊羔yáng gāolamb羔 = gāo
- 羔羊gāo yánglamb; (fig.) an innocent, helpless person羔 = gāo
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 羔 mean?
羔 (gāo) means lamb; kid; the young of sheep and some other animals.
How do you pronounce 羔?
It is pronounced gāo.
What parts is 羔 made of?
𦍌 (sheep top (羊 without its vertical tail), top-left part of 羞 and 差) and 灬 (fire dots (bottom form of 火)), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 羔，羊子也。从羊，照省聲（现代字形据 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验为 𦍌+灬）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 羔 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 羔?
羊. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 羔?
Common ones are 羊羔 and 羔羊. The reading of 羔 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.