改

Mandarin · pinyin gǎi

Meanings

  1. to change
  2. to alter
  3. to transform
  4. to correct
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Characters in this entry

改
gǎi · change, alter; improve, remodel
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3 · gai3

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

goi2

Cantonese word readings for 改. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character · Etymology 1

  1. to change; to transform; to alter; to modify
  2. to correct; to improve
  3. to mark; to correct; to grade (homework, an assignment, a test, etc.)
  4. (Cantonese) to come up with (a name)
  5. (Hokkien) to give up; to quit; to abstain from (a bad habit)
  6. a surname

character · Etymology 2

  1. (Taiwanese Hokkien) Classifier for times, as in frequency.

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack