歌 (gē)

Etymology

Originally depicted a person carrying an axe while singing. Now a phonosemantic compound. 欠 (pictograph of a person opening their mouth) represents the meaning and 哥 represents the sound.

Shuowen Jiezi

《說文》：“歌，詠也。从欠，哥聲。謌，謌（歌）或从言。”

Components

• 哥 (sound) — Originally depicted an axe being carried. Later reanalyzed into phonetic component 哥.
• 欠 (iconic) — Depicts a person opening their mouth.

Example sentences

1. 情歌感动我。 — Love songs move me.
2. 我继续唱歌。 — I carried on singing.
3. 你要唱歌吗？ — Are you going to sing?
4. 我想唱个歌。 — I want to sing a song.
5. 我爱这首歌。 — I love this song.

View all 50 example sentences for 歌 →