(gāo) - tall, high; loud (of sound) in Mandarin
gāoTraditional: 高
Translation
tall, high; loud (of sound)
Word origin
A pictograph of a tall building or watchtower, giving the meaning 'tall, high'. It also serves as a phonetic element in many other characters.
- Origin
- pictograph
- Root
- 高 (pictograph of a tall tower)
Stroke order
高
Examples
。
He is very tall.
，。
The mountain is very high, we cannot climb it.
。
Please don't speak too loudly.
座。
This mountain is extremely tall.
。
He is a little taller than me.
高 (gāo) is a fundamental adjective meaning tall or high. It describes height (高楼, tall building; 高山, high mountain) and by extension, elevated levels in various domains (高温, high temperature; 高价, high price; 高兴, happy - literally high-spirited). For volume it means loud. As a surname 高 is common. The antonym is 低 (dī, low/short for objects - 矮 ǎi is used for people's height).
Where this fits
Appears in 2 words
Multi-character compounds in the corpus that contain 高.
Used in
Grammar articles
(15)Mandarin Adjectives as Stative Verbs: Why 'I Am Cold' Is 我冷, Not 我是冷
Mandarin Advanced Grammar (C1-C2 / HSK 6+): Chengyu, Classical Remnants, and Register
Approximation and Rounding in Mandarin: 左右, 大概, 差不多, 几 and 来 for About, Around and Roughly
Mandarin Causatives 使 (shǐ), 令 (lìng) and 让 (ràng): Making Someone Feel or Do Something
Mandarin Grammar Cheatsheet: The Essentials, One Page
Mandarin Comparatives: 比, 比较, 最, 跟…一样 and How to Say 'More', 'Most', 'Same As'
Mandarin Conjunctions: 虽然…但是, 因为…所以, 如果…就 and the Paired Structures That Join Clauses
Asking How + Adjective in Mandarin with 多: 多高, 多远, 多长, 多大
Mandarin Four-Character Idioms (四字格): The Shape, Not the List
就 (jiù) vs 才 (cái) in Mandarin: Sooner Than Expected, Later Than Expected
The Mandarin 是…的 (shì...de) Construction: Highlighting When, Where, and How Something Happened
The Three de in Mandarin: 的, 得, and 地 and How to Tell Them Apart
Mandarin Verb Reduplication: 看看, 看一看, 休息休息 and the 一下 Alternative
Mandarin 性 (xìng) and 化 (huà): Building Abstract Nouns and '-ise' Verbs
又 (yòu) vs 再 (zài) vs 还 (hái) in Mandarin: The Three Ways to Say 'Again'
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高: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "高" (tall, high; loud (of sound)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 12.