戈
The 戈 radical
Halberd, weapon
Memory hook
A halberd with a blade set crosswise on the shaft. Characters with it tend to involve weapons and fighting: 战 (to fight), 戒 (to guard against), 戳 (to jab).
The 戈 radical (read gē) means halberd, weapon. The HSK 3.0 data contains 11 characters and 96 words built on it — learning them together is far faster than one character at a time.
Practise the 戈 radical
Study this radical's 96 words with flashcards or a quiz.
The free plan drills 15 words per radical. Upgrade to Premium
Characters with the 戈 radical
11 charactersHSK 1· 1 characters
HSK 1我
I, me
HSK 2· 2 characters
HSK 2成
to become; to succeed; to accomplish
或
or
HSK 3· 1 characters
HSK 3戏
play, joke
HSK 4· 2 characters
HSK 4战
war, to fight
戴
to wear, to put on (glasses, hat, gloves...)
HSK 5· 1 characters
HSK 5戒
quit
HSK 6· 1 characters
HSK 6截
to cut, to sever
HSK 7-9· 3 characters
HSK 7-9戈
broadsword (a long-handled weapon with a curved blade)
戚
relative, kinsfolk
戳
to poke, to jab, to stab
Vocabulary with the 戈 radical
96 wordsWords containing at least one character with the 戈 radical, ordered by HSK level.
The free plan shows 9 words per HSK level (55/96 words of this radical).
I, me
we, us
to become; to turn into
to complete; to accomplish
to become; to succeed; to accomplish
to become
achievement; grades
or
or
to form; to make up
to complete construction; to finish building
to form; to take shape
to succeed; to be successful
member
achievement; accomplishment
achievement; result; fruit (of work)
mature; ripe
to establish; to found; to set up
to grow up; growth
to nurture, to cultivate
adult
perhaps, maybe, possibly
war
soldier, warrior
to fight, to do battle
to defeat, to overcome
to wear, to put on (glasses, hat, gloves...)
challenge
to share; to divide
to make into
to synthesize, to combine
play, joke
drama, stage art
successful transaction, close a deal
effectiveness, results
cost
idiom
won't do, won't work
to fight, to wage combat
to regard as, to treat as
Chinese opera
component, composition (chemical, social, etc.)
finished product
comrade, comrade-in-arms
battlefield
tactics
to accomplish nothing
unchanging, always the same
relatives, kin
with unity of purpose, great things can be accomplished
to bring about success
Cold War
To speak eloquently as if composing prose, to be articulate and literary
war, conflict
To get whatever one wishes for, to have one's wishes come true.
Why learn vocabulary by the 戈 radical?
The 戈 radical hints at the meaning halberd, weapon. 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 11 characters to spot the pattern, then drill the 96 words with flashcards. Spaced repetition brings each word back exactly when you need it.