故 (gù) — how to say "reason" in Chinese

故

Reason; old; therefore

adverb · conjunction

Character composition

故

reason; old

Radicals / Keys

攴

Rap, tap

#66 · pū · 4 strokes

Collocations

因故缺席

yīn gù quē xí

to be absent for an unspecified reason

Examples

他因故不能来参加聚会。

He cannot come to the party for a reason.

故人来了。

An old friend came.

Writing

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say "reason" in Chinese?

"reason" in Chinese is 故 (gù).

故 meaning in English

故 (gù) means "Reason; old; therefore".

Gu in Chinese pronunciation

It is pronounced gù (written as gu). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.

How do you write "reason" in Chinese characters?

It is written 故 and has 9 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order and lets you trace it.

What HSK 3.0 level is 故?

故 is on the HSK 3.0 levels 7–9 word list. It is not part of the six-level HSK 2.0 lists.

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Grammar with 故

More HSK 3.0 levels 7–9 words