跟

gēn

艮 + 𧾷

HSK 2.0Level 3

HSK 3.0Level 2

Definitions

gēn (particle) with; and

gēn (verb) to follow; to go with

gēn (preposition) compared with; to; towards

gēn (noun) heel

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 足 represents the meaning and 艮 represents the sound.

Semantic: 足 Phonetic: 艮

About

跟 is a phono-semantic compound character. The 'foot' radical on the left (written as ⻊) indicates that its meaning is related to the foot, while the 艮 component on the right indicates its pronunciation. It originally referred to the heel of a foot or the back of a shoe. Because following someone closely is like stepping right behind their heels, it derived the verbal meanings of 'to follow' or 'to tail.' It was then further grammaticalized into a preposition and conjunction commonly used in everyday communication, meaning 'and' or 'with'.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我跟你学习。

Wǒ gēn nǐ xuéxí.

I study with you.

他经常跟我聊天。

Tā jīngcháng gēn wǒ liáotiān.

He often chats with me.

请你跟我来。

Qǐng nǐ gēn wǒ lái.

Please come with me.

我跟朋友看电影。

Wǒ gēn péngyou kàn diànyǐng.

I watch movies with friends.

这个跟那个一样。

Zhège gēn nàge yīyàng.

This one is the same as that one.

她不喜欢跟陌生人说话。

Tā bù xǐhuān gēn mòshēngrén shuōhuà.

She doesn't like talking with strangers.

如果你跟我去，我就告诉你。

Rúguǒ nǐ gēn wǒ qù, wǒ jiù gàosu nǐ.

If you go with me, I will tell you.

根据报告，公司需要跟上市场变化。

Gēnjù bàogào, gōngsī xūyào gēnshàng shìchǎng biànhuà.

According to the report, the company needs to keep up with market changes.

Related Characters

Component: 艮

Component: 𧾷

跟