瓜 (guā): melon; gourd; squash

Measure Word

一个瓜 gè

Meanings

1 melon; gourd; squash

Characters

瓜

guā

melon; gourd

Examples

HSK 1

你喜欢吃什么瓜？

Nǐ xǐhuan chī shénme guā?

What kind of melon do you like to eat?

HSK 2

夏天吃西瓜最舒服。

Xiàtiān chī xīguā zuì shūfu.

Eating watermelon in summer is the most comfortable.

HSK 3

奶奶在院子里种了很多瓜。

Nǎinai zài yuànzi lǐ zhòng le hěnduō guā.

Grandma grew a lot of melons in the yard.

Tips

culture

吃瓜群众 ('melon-eating masses') is a hugely popular Chinese internet slang for bystanders watching drama unfold - like eating watermelon seeds while watching a show. Often shortened to 吃瓜.

usage

瓜 appears in many fruit/vegetable names: 西瓜 (watermelon), 黄瓜 (cucumber), 南瓜 (pumpkin), 冬瓜 (winter melon).

Components

pictograph

瓜 guā

melon; gourd

Pictograph of a melon hanging from a vine - the outer two long strokes are the trailing tendrils, and the central 厶 is the fruit itself. 瓜 is Kangxi radical 97 and indexes the melon family: 瓢 ladle-gourd, 瓣 segment, 瓤 pulp. The shape has stayed remarkably stable since the seal script.

Radical

Melon Kangxi #97

A small radical group covering melons and gourd-shaped fruits. Productivity is low - almost every word a learner needs uses 瓜 itself as the head and another character for the type (西瓜, 南瓜, 黄瓜). The shape pictures a vine with one fruit hanging in the middle.