羔 (gāo): lamb

Meanings

草地上有几只羊羔。

Cǎodì shàng yǒu jǐ zhī yánggāo.

There are several little lambs on the grassland.

冬天大家都爱吃羊羔肉。

Dōngtiān dàjiā dōu ài chī yánggāoròu.

Everyone likes to eat lamb chops in winter.

usage

羔 means a young lamb, mostly in 羊羔 (lamb) and 替罪羔羊 (scapegoat).

radical

羊 yáng

sheep; goat

The sheep 羊 sits on top and is the indexing radical, giving the core meaning: this is a young sheep.

semantic

灬 huǒ

fire (bottom form of 火)

The four fire-dots at the bottom (bottom form of 火) historically showed a lamb being roasted over a flame, the original picture behind the character.

羔 gāo