挂

掛

guà

圭 + 扌

HSK 2.0Level 4

HSK 3.0Level 4

Definitions

guà (verb) to hang; to suspend

guà (verb) to hang up (phone); to make a phone call

guà (verb) to register; to record

guà (verb) to be worried; to be concerned

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 扌 represents the meaning and 圭 represents the sound. Simplified form of 掛.

Semantic: 扌 Phonetic: 圭

About

The simplified character 挂 (guà) pairs the hand radical 扌 (shǒu), signaling a manual action, with the phonetic 圭 (guī). While 圭 originally referred to a ceremonial jade tablet, it serves here purely for its sound. The traditional form 掛 uses the same radical alongside the phonetic 卦 (guà), which denotes the divinatory trigrams from the I Ching. The original meaning is to hang or suspend something, like a picture on a wall or laundry to dry. Over time, it expanded to abstract senses: registering for a visit (挂号), ending a phone call (挂电话), or feeling anxious (挂念).

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他把画挂在墙上。

Tā bǎ huà guà zài qiáng shàng.

He hangs the picture on the wall.

她挂断了我的电话。

Tā guàduànle wǒ de diànhuà.

She hung up on my call.

请把帽子挂在钩子上。

Qǐng bǎ màozi guà zài gōu zi shàng.

Please hang the hat on the hook.

我急需挂失这张信用卡。

Wǒ jíxū guàshī zhè zhāng xìnyòngkǎ.

I urgently need to report the loss of this credit card.

灯笼挂在门口很漂亮。

Dēnglong guà zài ménkǒu hěn piàoliang.

The lantern hanging at the entrance is very beautiful.

他这学期挂了两门课。

Tā zhè xuéqī guàle liǎng mén kè.

He failed two courses this semester.

商店挂出了打折的招牌。

Shāngdiàn guà chūle dǎzhé de zhāopai.

The store put up a discount sign.

她的情绪全都挂在嘴角边。

Tā de qíngxù quán dōu guà zài zuǐjiǎo biān.

All her emotions are hung at the corner of her mouth.

Related Characters

Component: 圭

Component: 扌

挂