各 (gè) · each, every, various

Meanings

1 each
2 every
3 various

Characters

各

gè

each; every; various

Examples

HSK 2

每个人各做各的。

Měi gè rén gè zuò gè de.

Everyone does their own thing.

HSK 4

各有各的想法。

Gè yǒu gè de xiǎngfǎ.

Each has their own ideas.

HSK 5

各国代表都参加了会议。

Gè guó dàibiǎo dōu cānjiā le huìyì.

Representatives from each country attended the meeting.

Tips

grammar

各 is placed before nouns without a measure word: 各国 (each country), 各人 (each person), 各地 (each place). Compare with 每 which needs a measure word: 每个人.

Components

radical

口 kǒu

mouth; opening

Bottom 口 - a small open square, here standing for a settlement or homestead where the arriving foot lands. The early sense was 'each one arrives at a different mouth/place'. 口 is the indexing radical and connects 各 to compounds about voices and places: 各位, 各国, 各地.

semantic

夂 zhǐ

to follow; foot coming down

Top 夂 originally depicted a downward-pointing foot, the picture of someone arriving from outside. In 各 the foot enters toward the mouth 口 below, suggesting visitors coming from different directions, each with their own destination. The same component shapes the foot in 冬, 夏, 处.