阁 (gé) is a Chinese character meaning “pavilion”. It is written from 门 (door; gate) and 各 (each; every), one enclosing the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “pavilion; chamber”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
门 + 各
Enclosing structure
Structure from: 说文解字：阁，所以止扉也。从門各聲；现代字形拆分（⿵门各）已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：门 3 画 + 各 6 画 = 9 画
Memory aid
A gate (门) with 各 tucked inside it. 各 gè gives the sound — gè, gé — and the gate tells you it is a building you walk into: a pavilion, a chamber.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 阁楼gé lóuattic; loft阁 = gé
- 内阁nèi gécabinet (of a government)阁 = gé
Go deeper
All readings
pavilion
pavilion; a small upper chamber or storeyed building; cabinet (in government)
类似楼房的建筑，多为两层以上；也指旧时女子的居室或国家的最高行政机关。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 阁楼gé lóuattic; loft阁 = gé
- 内阁nèi gécabinet (of a government)阁 = gé
Sound component
各 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 阁 mean?
阁 (gé) means pavilion; a small upper chamber or storeyed building; cabinet (in government).
How do you pronounce 阁?
It is pronounced gé.
What parts is 阁 made of?
门 (door; gate) and 各 (each; every), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：阁，所以止扉也。从門各聲；现代字形拆分（⿵门各）已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：门 3 画 + 各 6 画 = 9 画. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 阁 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 阁?
门. 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 阁?
Common ones are 阁楼 and 内阁. The reading of 阁 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.