Chinese word

钩

Pronunciation

Pinyingōu

Meaning

  • nounhook

Example

门后有个钩，可以挂帽子。mén hòu yǒu gè gōu ké yǐ guà mào zi

There is a hook behind the door for hanging a hat.

Illustration for 钩 (hook)

More examples

他把衣服挂在墙上的钩上。tā bǎ yī fú guà zài qiáng shàng de gōu shàng

He hung his clothes on the hook on the wall.

Core concept

A curved projection that catches and holds something in place, whether fixed to a surface or built into a tool.

Common phrases

  • 鱼钩yú gōu

    fishhook

  • 衣钩yī gōu

    clothes hook

  • 门钩mén gōu

    door hook

Similar words

钩子gōu zi: A small curved metal or plastic device used to catch and suspend an item.
挂钩guà gōu: A wall- or door-mounted fitting that provides a place to hang hats or clothes.

Definition in Chinese

用于挂住或作为固定点的弯曲突出部分，常见于门、衣架或工具上。yòng yú guà zhù huò zuò wéi gù dìng diǎn de wān qū tū chū bù fèn cháng jiàn yú mén yī jià huò gōng jù shàng

Word origin

钩 (gōu, "hook") combines 钅 (jīn, "metal") + 勾 (gōu, "bend"); 钅 signals a metal-related object, while 勾 mainly supplies the pronunciation.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, the noun can stand alone when the object is obvious, but a short description of its location or purpose removes ambiguity between different kinds of hardware.

Other meanings

  • catchverb
  • hangernoun

Related words

  • 钩子gōu zihooknoun
  • 鱼钩yú gōufishhooknoun
  • 钩状gōu zhuànghook-shapedadjective

Word lists with this word