Meaning
to follow; to go with; heel; with; and
Chinese: 跟随、和，也指脚后跟。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “gen” becomes a different word in each tone. 跟 is the 1st tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.
Stroke Order
Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.
Common Words
- 跟随gēn suíto follow
- 高跟鞋gāo gēn xiéhigh-heeled shoes
- 跟前gēn qiánthe front (of); (in) front; (in) sb's presence; just before (a date)
- 跟踪gēn zōngto follow sb's tracks; to tail; to shadow; tracking
- 跟不上gēn bu shàngnot able to keep up with
Example Sentence
弟弟总是跟在我后面。Dì di zǒng shì gēn zài wǒ hòu mian.My younger brother always follows behind me.
弟弟Dì diyounger brother总是zǒng shìalways跟gēnwith在zàiat我wǒI后面hòu mianthe back。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
The foot radical 足 (meaning) plus 艮 (gèn, sound): the heel of the foot, and from following on someone’s heels, ‘to follow / with’.
A way to remember it
Feet (足) + the sound 艮 — the heel, to follow.