鼓
The 鼓 radical
Drum
Memory hook
On the left a drum on its stand, on the right a hand holding a stick 支 — beating the drum: 鼓励 (to encourage), 打鼓 (to drum), 鼓掌 (to applaud).
The 鼓 radical (read gǔ) means drum. The HSK 3.0 data contains 1 characters and 7 words built on it — learning them together is far faster than one character at a time.
Practise the 鼓 radical
Study this radical's 7 words with flashcards or a quiz.
Characters with the 鼓 radical
1 charactersHSK 5· 1 characters
HSK 5鼓
drum (musical instrument)
Vocabulary with the 鼓 radical
7 wordsWords containing at least one character with the 鼓 radical, ordered by HSK level.
drum (musical instrument)
to encourage, to motivate
to applaud, to clap
To do something in one go, gathering all one's momentum to finish a task from the start.
to chime in to support someone, put in a good word
to incite; to instigate; to mobilize
to inspire; to encourage
Why learn vocabulary by the 鼓 radical?
The 鼓 radical hints at the meaning drum. When you meet an unfamiliar character carrying it, you already know part of its meaning before reaching for a dictionary — which is why learners who know their radicals move faster.
How to study: read the memory hook, skim the 1 characters to spot the pattern, then drill the 7 words with flashcards. Spaced repetition brings each word back exactly when you need it.