咕 (gū) is a Chinese character meaning “(onomatopoeia) the low rolling sound of a hen clucking, a”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 古 (old; ancient), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “cluck / rumble”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
口 + 古
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：8 画 = 口 3 画 + 古 5 画；部首取 UCD CJKRadicals 口部
Memory aid
A mouth (口) beside 古 (gǔ) — the mouth says it is a noise, and 古 says how the noise sounds: gū.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 咕咕gū gū(onomatopoeia) cluck; coo; rumble咕 = gū
- 咕咕叫gū gū jiàoto rumble (of a stomach); to cluck (of a hen)咕 = gū
Go deeper
All readings
cluck; coo; rumble
(onomatopoeia) the low rolling sound of a hen clucking, a dove cooing, or a stomach rumbling
象声词，形容母鸡、鸽子的叫声，也形容肚子发出的低沉响声。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 咕咕gū gū(onomatopoeia) cluck; coo; rumble咕 = gū
- 咕咕叫gū gū jiàoto rumble (of a stomach); to cluck (of a hen)咕 = gū
Sound component
古 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 咕 mean?
咕 (gū) means (onomatopoeia) the low rolling sound of a hen clucking, a dove cooing, or a stomach rumbling.
How do you pronounce 咕?
It is pronounced gū.
What parts is 咕 made of?
口 (mouth) and 古 (old; ancient), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：8 画 = 口 3 画 + 古 5 画；部首取 UCD CJKRadicals 口部. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 咕 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 咕?
口. 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 咕?
Common ones are 咕咕 and 咕咕叫. The reading of 咕 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.