郭 (guō) is a Chinese character meaning “outer wall of a city”. It is written from 享 (to enjoy (as a modern-form component)) and 阝 (left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑)), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “outer city wall”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
享 + 阝
Left–right structure
- 享 to enjoy (as a modern-form component) · xiǎng unknown
- 阝 left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑) · fù unknown
Structure from: IDS ⿰享阝 (Unicode 表意文字描述序列)，与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验一致（第 1–8 笔为左部「享」，第 9–10 笔为右部「阝」）。仅描述现代字形，各部件的历史来源未确认
Memory aid
People enjoy (享) life inside the town (阝 on the right, the 'city' ear) because a strong outer wall surrounds it — 郭, the outer city wall.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 城郭chéng guōcity walls; a walled city郭 = guō
Go deeper
All readings
outer city wall
outer wall of a city; (also a common Chinese surname, Guo)
古代在城外加筑的一道城墙，即外城；也用作姓。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 城郭chéng guōcity walls; a walled city郭 = guō
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 郭 mean?
郭 (guō) means outer wall of a city; (also a common Chinese surname, Guo).
How do you pronounce 郭?
It is pronounced guō.
What parts is 郭 made of?
享 (to enjoy (as a modern-form component)) and 阝 (left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑)), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS ⿰享阝 (Unicode 表意文字描述序列)，与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验一致（第 1–8 笔为左部「享」，第 9–10 笔为右部「阝」）。仅描述现代字形，各部件的历史来源未确认. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 郭 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 郭?
阝. 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 郭?
Common ones are 城郭. The reading of 郭 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.