构 (gòu) is a Chinese character meaning “to construct”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 勾 (hook; to hook, to tick off), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to construct”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
木 + 勾
Left–right structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核对（现代字形拆分）：笔画 0–3 与「木」逐笔对应，笔画 4–7 与「勾」逐笔对应
Memory aid
Wood (木) on the left, a hook (勾) on the right: you hook timbers onto each other to construct a frame.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 结构jié gòustructure构 = gòuHSK 5
- 机构jī gòuorganization; institution构 = gòuHSK 5
Go deeper
All readings
to construct
to construct; to build; to form; structure, composition
架起、组合起来；也指组合而成的样式。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 结构jié gòustructure构 = gòuHSK 5
- 机构jī gòuorganization; institution构 = gòuHSK 5
Sound component
勾 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 构 mean?
构 (gòu) means to construct; to build; to form; structure, composition.
How do you pronounce 构?
It is pronounced gòu.
What parts is 构 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 勾 (hook; to hook, to tick off), side by side. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核对（现代字形拆分）：笔画 0–3 与「木」逐笔对应，笔画 4–7 与「勾」逐笔对应. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 构 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 构?
木. 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 构?
Common ones are 结构 and 机构. The reading of 构 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.