顾 (gù) is a Chinese character meaning “to look after”. It is written from 厄 (hardship; adversity; a strait one is caught in) and 页 (head; page, leaf (of a book)), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to look after”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
厄 + 页
Left–right structure
- 厄 hardship; adversity; a strait one is caught in · è simplified form
- 页 head; page, leaf (of a book) · yè meaning
Structure from: 说文解字·頁部：顧，還視也。从頁雇聲；《简化字总表》简化为顾（左部作厄形，右部頁简化为页）
Memory aid
Someone in hardship (厄) turns their head (页) to look back at them — to look after someone. 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
- 照顾zhào gùto look after; to take care of顾 = gù
- 顾客gù kècustomer; client顾 = gù
- 兼顾jiān gùto give consideration to both; to take care of two things at once顾 = gù
- 顾虑gù lǜmisgiving; concern; to have scruples about顾 = gù
Go deeper
All readings
to look after; to attend to
to look after; to attend to; to take into consideration; to turn round and look
照管、注意；也指回头看、拜访。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 照顾zhào gùto look after; to take care of顾 = gù
- 顾客gù kècustomer; client顾 = gù
- 兼顾jiān gùto give consideration to both; to take care of two things at once顾 = gù
- 顾虑gù lǜmisgiving; concern; to have scruples about顾 = gù
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 顾 mean?
顾 (gù) means to look after; to attend to; to take into consideration; to turn round and look.
How do you pronounce 顾?
It is pronounced gù.
What parts is 顾 made of?
厄 (hardship; adversity; a strait one is caught in) and 页 (head; page, leaf (of a book)), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·頁部：顧，還視也。从頁雇聲；《简化字总表》简化为顾（左部作厄形，右部頁简化为页）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 顾 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 顾?
页. 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 顾?
Common ones are 照顾 and 顾客. The reading of 顾 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.