谷

See also: 穀

谷 U+8C37, 谷 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-8C37 ← 谶 [U+8C36] CJK Unified Ideographs 谸 → [U+8C38]

⾕ U+2F95, ⾕ KANGXI RADICAL VALLEY ← ⾔ [U+2F94] Kangxi Radicals ⾖ → [U+2F96]

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

Han character

See images of
Radical 150 谷

谷 (Kangxi radical 150, 谷+0, 7 strokes, cangjie input 金人口 (COR), four-corner 8060₈, composition ⿳八人口)

1. Kangxi radical #150, ⾕.

Derived characters

• Appendix:Chinese radical/谷
• 逧, 䞱, 卻, 郤, 欲, 㞃, 鵒(鹆), 容, 䘱
• 俗, 唂, 峪, 浴, 䧍, 㭲, 焀, 䀰, 硲, 裕, 綌(绤), 䎥, 䛦, 輍, 鋊

Additional Derived Characters

• 𠗖, 﨏, 𢂲, 𢓾, 𪫹, 𤞞, 𣃺, 𤥫, 𥙿, 𦛱, 𭻗, 𥪉, 𮎐, 𧋉, 𧣳, 𨁖, 𩣥, 𬴒, 𩷝, 𪁴, 𪑌
• 𮓧, 𭃣, 𢼽, 𤭏, 𣍂, 𬢗, 𨿜, 𭆮, 𣴲, 𪚡, 𭖦, 𫈅, 𫨊, 𪊿

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1189, character 1
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 36182
• Dae Jaweon: page 1652, character 19
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 6, page 3902, character 1
• Unihan data for U+8C37

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 谷
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Characters in the same phonetic series (谷) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
螸	*lo
裕	*loɡs
容	*loŋ
溶	*loŋ, *loŋʔ
鎔	*loŋ
蓉	*loŋ
傛	*loŋ, *loŋʔ
褣	*loŋ
搈	*loŋ
瑢	*loŋ
嵱	*loŋ
熔	*loŋ
榕	*loŋ
塎	*loŋʔ
谷	*ɦkroːɡ, *kloːɡ, *ɡ·loːɡ
唂	*kloːɡ
焀	*ɡloːɡ
俗	*ljoɡ
欲	*loɡ
浴	*loɡ
鵒	*loɡ
峪	*ɦkloːɡ
鋊	*loɡ
輍	*loɡ
慾	*loɡ

Pictogram (象形) — valley (口) in between two mountain walls represented by near-parallel lines. The original version is 𠔌. See also 㕣.

Etymology 1

simp. and trad.		谷
alternative forms		𠔌

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *kl(j)u(ŋ/k) (“river; gorge”). Cognate with Tibetan ལྗོངས (ljongs), Tibetan ཀླུང (klung) and Tibetan ལུང་པ (lung pa).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): gǔ (gu³)

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨˇ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): guk¹

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): guuk²

• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): kuk
• Eastern Min (BUC): gók
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): gorh⁶
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): kok

  (Teochew, Peng'im): gog⁴

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁷koq

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: gǔ
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄨˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: gǔ
    • Wade–Giles: ku³
    • Yale: gǔ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: guu
    • Palladius: гу (gu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ku²¹⁴/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: guk¹
    • Yale: gūk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: guk⁷
    • Guangdong Romanization: gug¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʊk̚⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: guuk²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɵk̚⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kuk
    • Hakka Romanization System: gug^ˋ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: gug⁵
    • Sinological IPA: /kuk̚²/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: gók
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kouʔ²⁴/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: gorh⁶
    • Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: go̤h
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɒʔ²¹/
  • (Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: gorh⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɒʔ²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kok
    • Tâi-lô: kok
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kog
    • IPA (Xiamen): /kɔk̚³²/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kɔk̚⁵/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /kɔk̚³²/
    • IPA (Taipei): /kɔk̚³²/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /kɔk̚³²/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: gog⁴
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kok
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kok̚²/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁷koq
    • MiniDict: koh^入
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ⁴koq
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /koʔ⁵⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: kuwk

Rime
Character	谷
Reading #	1/3
Initial (聲)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	屋 (3)
Tone (調)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	古禄切
Baxter	kuwk
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kuk̚/
Pan Wuyun	/kuk̚/
Shao Rongfen	/kuk̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kəwk̚/
Li Rong	/kuk̚/
Wang Li	/kuk̚/
Bernhard Karlgren	/kuk̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	gu
Expected Cantonese Reflex	guk1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*C.qˤok/

  (Zhengzhang): /*kloːɡ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	谷
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	gǔ
Middle Chinese	‹ kuwk ›
Old Chinese	/*C.qˁok/
English	valley
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	谷
Reading #	2/3
No.	4299
Phonetic component	谷
Rime group	屋
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	穀
Old Chinese	/*kloːɡ/

Definitions

谷

1. valley; gorge; ravine

   • 孔明棄車步行。忽到一山，望見一谷，形如長蛇，皆危峭石壁，並無樹木。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
     孔明弃车步行。忽到一山，望见一谷，形如长蛇，皆危峭石壁，并无树木。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

     From: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, circa 14^th century CE

     Kǒng Míng qì chē bùxíng. Hū dào yī shān, wàngjiàn yī gǔ, xíng rú cháng shé, jiē wēiqiào shíbì, bìng wú shùmù. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. river or stream between two mountains; (in general) stream or river

   • 夫山居而谷汲者，膢臘而相遺以水。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     夫山居而谷汲者，𦝼腊而相遗以水。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

     From: Han Feizi, circa 2^nd century BCE

     Fū shān jū ér gǔ jí zhě, lóulà ér xiàng wèi yǐ shuǐ. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

3. (figurative) difficult position; predicament

   進退維谷／进退维谷  ―  jìntuìwéigǔ  ―  to be caught between a rock and a hard place

4. a surname

   谷愛凌／谷爱凌  ―  Gǔ Àilíng  ―  Eileen Gu

Compounds

• 下谷坪 (Xiàgǔpíng)
• 中谷有蓷
• 伊犁縱谷 / 伊犁纵谷
• 低谷 (dīgǔ)
• 出谷遷喬 / 出谷迁乔
• 函谷關 / 函谷关 (Hángǔ Guān)
• 包谷 (bāogǔ)
• 包谷花
• 千巖萬谷 / 千岩万谷
• 厓谷
• 合谷
• 嘴答谷
• 壑谷
• 大峽谷 / 大峡谷 (Dàxiágǔ)
• 太谷
• 太谷燈 / 太谷灯
• 如臨淵谷 / 如临渊谷
• 如臨深谷 / 如临深谷
• 山棲谷飲 / 山栖谷饮
• 山谷 (shāngǔ)
• 峽谷 / 峡谷 (xiágǔ)
• 崤谷
• 嶰谷
• 巔崖峻谷 / 巅崖峻谷
• 巖居谷飲 / 岩居谷饮
• 幽棲巖谷 / 幽栖岩谷
• 幽谷 (yōugǔ)
• 府谷 (Fǔgǔ)
• 張谷英 / 张谷英 (Zhānggǔyīng)
• 悲谷
• 愚公谷
• 斜谷
• 新鶯出谷 / 新莺出谷
• 方濟谷派 / 方济谷派
• 昧谷
• 暘谷 / 旸谷
• 曼谷 (Màngǔ)
• 泥封函谷
• 河谷 (hégǔ)
• 波谷 (bōgǔ)
• 海底峽谷 / 海底峡谷
• 海谷
• 深山窮谷 / 深山穷谷 (shēnshānqiónggǔ)
• 深谷 (shēngǔ)
• 溺谷
• 溪谷 (xīgǔ)
• 滿坑滿谷 / 满坑满谷 (mǎnkēngmǎngǔ)
• 澥谷
• 甘谷 (Gāngǔ)
• 白駒空谷 / 白驹空谷
• 百谷王
• 盤谷 / 盘谷 (Pángǔ)
• 矽谷 (Xīgǔ)
• 硅谷 (Guīgǔ)
• 硫磺谷
• 禺谷
• 穹谷
• 空谷
• 空谷傳聲 / 空谷传声
• 空谷傳響 / 空谷传响
• 空谷幽蘭 / 空谷幽兰
• 空谷足音
• 縱谷 / 纵谷 (zōnggǔ)
• 膠萊谷地 / 胶莱谷地
• 蒙谷
• 藏南縱谷 / 藏南纵谷
• 虛懷若谷 / 虚怀若谷 (xūhuáiruògǔ)
• 裂谷
• 西谷椰子
• 西谷米 (xīgǔmǐ)
• 谷中谷
• 谷口 (gǔkǒu)
• 谷口耕岩
• 谷地 (gǔdì)
• 谷底 (gǔdǐ)
• 谷樹皮 / 谷树皮
• 谷灣 / 谷湾
• 谷蠡 (lùlí)
• 谷谷
• 谷都
• 谷風 / 谷风 (gǔfēng)
• 谷飲 / 谷饮
• 谿谷 (xīgǔ)
• 跌至谷底
• 通谷 (tōnggǔ)
• 進退維谷 / 进退维谷 (jìntuìwéigǔ)
• 金谷
• 金谷園 / 金谷园
• 金谷墮樓 / 金谷堕楼
• 金谷酒數 / 金谷酒数
• 陵谷 (línggǔ)
• 隆河谷地
• 陽谷 / 阳谷
• 雲谷 / 云谷
• 飛谷 / 飞谷
• 高岸深谷
• 鬼谷子 (Guǐgǔzǐ)
• 鶯谷 / 莺谷
• 鹿谷 (Lùgǔ)
• 鹿谷鄉 / 鹿谷乡
• 黍谷生春

Etymology 2

simp. and trad.		谷
alternative forms		唂 䏱

Pronunciation

• Cantonese (Jyutping): guk¹

---

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: guk¹
    • Yale: gūk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: guk⁷
    • Guangdong Romanization: gug¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʊk̚⁵/

Definitions

谷 (Cantonese)

1. to pressure
2. to hasten; to boost
3. to cause to swell by pressuring
4. to hold back or conceal negative emotions or feelings

Derived terms

• 催谷
• 力谷
• 谷住度氣 / 谷住度气
• 谷奶
• 谷氣 / 谷气
• 谷爆
• 谷精上腦 / 谷精上脑
• 谷針 / 谷针

Etymology 3

simp. and trad.		谷

From English group. Doublet of group.

Pronunciation

• Cantonese (Jyutping): guk¹

---

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: guk¹
    • Yale: gūk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: guk⁷
    • Guangdong Romanization: gug¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʊk̚⁵/

Definitions

谷

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, social media, Internet slang) group (Classifier: 個／个 c)

Synonyms

• 群組／群组 (qúnzǔ)

Compounds

• 谷友

Etymology 4

simp. and trad.		谷

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yù (yu⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄩˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): juk⁶
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): kio̍k

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yù
    • Zhuyin: ㄩˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yù
    • Wade–Giles: yü⁴
    • Yale: yù
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yuh
    • Palladius: юй (juj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /y⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: juk⁶
    • Yale: yuhk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: juk⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: yug⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jʊk̚²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kio̍k
    • Tâi-lô: kio̍k
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kiok
    • IPA (Xiamen): /kiɔk̚⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kiɔk̚²⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /kiɔk̚¹²¹/
    • IPA (Taipei): /kiɔk̚⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /kiɔk̚⁴/

---

• Middle Chinese: yowk

Rime
Character	谷
Reading #	3/3
Initial (聲)	以 (36)
Final (韻)	燭 (8)
Tone (調)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	余蜀切
Baxter	yowk
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/jɨok̚/
Pan Wuyun	/jiok̚/
Shao Rongfen	/iok̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/juawk̚/
Li Rong	/iok̚/
Wang Li	/jĭwok̚/
Bernhard Karlgren	/i̯wok̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	yù
Expected Cantonese Reflex	juk6

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɡ·loːɡ/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	谷
Reading #	3/3
No.	4310
Phonetic component	谷
Rime group	屋
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	欲
Old Chinese	/*ɡ·loːɡ/

Definitions

谷

1. only used in 吐谷渾／吐谷浑 (tǔyùhún, “Tuyuhun: name of an ancient nomadic people in northwestern China”) and 谷渾／谷浑 (Yùhún, “surname”)

Etymology 5

simp. and trad.		谷

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): lù (lu⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄌㄨˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): luk⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: lù
    • Zhuyin: ㄌㄨˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: lù
    • Wade–Giles: lu⁴
    • Yale: lù
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: luh
    • Palladius: лу (lu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lu⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: luk⁶
    • Yale: luhk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: luk⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: lug⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lʊk̚²/

---

• Middle Chinese: luwk

Rime
Character	谷
Reading #	2/3
Initial (聲)	來 (37)
Final (韻)	屋 (3)
Tone (調)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	盧谷切
Baxter	luwk
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/luk̚/
Pan Wuyun	/luk̚/
Shao Rongfen	/luk̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ləwk̚/
Li Rong	/luk̚/
Wang Li	/luk̚/
Bernhard Karlgren	/luk̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	lù
Expected Cantonese Reflex	luk6

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɦkroːɡ/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	谷
Reading #	1/3
No.	4298
Phonetic component	谷
Rime group	屋
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	禄
Old Chinese	/*ɦkroːɡ/
Notes	見史記

Definitions

谷

1. only used in 谷蠡王 (lùlíwáng) and 谷蠡 (lùlí, “title for Xiongnu officials”)

Etymology 6

For pronunciation and definitions of 谷 – see 穀 (“corn; grain; cereal; foxtail millet, the plant or the unhulled grain); etc.”). (This character is the simplified form of 穀).

Notes: Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.