Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.
格gésquare; lattice; grid; frame
木tree · mùMeaning part
各individual · gèSound part
木 hints at the meaning (tree); 各 (gè) hints at the sound. Compare it with gé.
外wàioutside
夕evening · xī
卜divination · bǔ
Memory aidEvening 夕 beside a divination crack 卜. Picture fortune-telling done at night, out of doors: outside.
How to write 格外
格 10 strokes · 外 5 strokes
Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.
Stroke order chart for 格外 (géwài). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.
格外 (géwài) means “especially” or “particularly”. It is an HSK 5 word.
Say it géwài: gé with a 2nd tone, then wài with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
Yes. 格外 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type gewai with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 格外 from the suggestions. Typing gewai into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
格外 is an HSK 5 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.
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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences written by WillyChina. Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.