Pinyin initial: "gu"

The Pinyin initial "gu" is used in the first half of Pinyin syllables. In MandarinBanana's mnemonic system, "gu" belongs to the group of Pinyin initials which are represented in mnemonics by animals. You can visit the Pinyin index to see all Pinyin syllables from this mnemonic group, or to see all Pinyin syllables "gu" can appear in.

Mnemonics for gu

Gu is for Gitta Giraffe.

Characters with gu

radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 2)

Mnemonic symbol: a dinosaur bone. Gitta Giraffe (gu-) found a gorgeous dinosaur bone (丨) in the encampment's living room ((e)n3).
country / nation / state / national / CL:個|个[ge4]

= + : Mnemonic symbol: a nation's flag. Let's say the Chinese flag.

In the observatory's kitchen (o2) Gitta Giraffe (gu) is practising her ballet performance. She got a whole crate (囗) full of jade bracelets (玉) and flags (国) and fixed one flag to each jade bracelet. This makes a perfect combination for throwing the ring with the flag waving behind it and catching the ring again after a few pirouettes.
surname Guo
a bow (weapon) / CL:張|张[zhang1] / to bend / to arch (one's back etc)

Mnemonic symbol: a composite bow. Gitta Giraffe (gu) is shooting arrows with a composite bow (弓) in front of the engine ((e)ng1).
surname Gong
work / worker / skill / profession / trade / craft / labor

= + : Mnemonic symbol: a steel beam, since 工 looks like the cross section of a steel beam. In front of the engine ((e)ng1), Gitta Giraffe (gu) is doing some hard work: She's stacking a capacitor (二) on a dinosaur bone (丨) on a capacitor (二). She's not very successful, but then she gets the idea to use steel beams (工) as support.
hands joined

= 丿 + + : Handcuffs. Gitta Giraffe is sitting inside of the engine, her hands tied up with handcuffs. There's a flute as horizontal bar, and attached to either side are a banana and a dinosaur bone, so that she cannot slide off the chain.
fruit / result / resolute / indeed / if really

= + : Gitta Giraffe is not feeling well inside observatory and decides to eat healthy. To plant a field, she first distributes some Christmas trees as manure, then puts a field on it and finally plants some ravines. Soon she will be eating grapes and feel better.
variant of 果[guo3] / fruit

= + : Gitta Giraffe is not feeling well inside observatory and decides to eat healthy. To plant a field, she first distributes some Christmas trees as manure, then puts a field on it and finally plants some ravines. Soon she will be eating grapes and feel better.
to cross / to go over / to pass (time) / to celebrate (a holiday) / to live / to get along / excessively / too-

= + : Gitta Giraffe is trying out her new gladiator sandals in the observatory's bathroom. She's even able to cross a puddle of water with them by just walking on the water, so thumbs up for her!
(experienced action marker)
surname Guo

= + : Gitta Giraffe is trying out her new gladiator sandals in the observatory's bathroom. She's even able to cross a puddle of water with them by just walking on the water, so thumbs up for her!
mountain pass / to close; to shut; to turn off / to confine; to lock (sb) up; to shut (sb in a room, a bird in a cage etc) / to concern; to involve

= + : A mean crocodile (丷) is chasing Gitta Giraffe (gu) in front of the anthill (an1). It almost caught up, when an angel (天) appears and pushes its off button (mnemonic symbol for 关) to save Gitta Giraffe.
surname Guan
decisive

= + : Gitta Giraffe assumed the throne in the airplanes bathroom. Now she has to decide which tool she will use to enforce her decisions. She asks a crystal ball whether she should use a classical sickle or a rather modern robot.

= + : Mnemonic symbol: a crystal ball which will decide for you.
wide / numerous / to spread

广 = + 丿 : The English Wiktionary lists "canopy" as a possible meaning, and an example for a canopy is the upper part of a parachute. That's what I'll use to represent this character in other characters. In the anglepod, Gitta Giraffe just invented the art of building a parachute out of berets and bananas, using the berets as canopy and banana peels as strings. Soon, this new sport spreads all over the world as the new thing to do.
surname Guang

广 = + 丿 : The English Wiktionary lists "canopy" as a possible meaning, and an example for a canopy is the upper part of a parachute. That's what I'll use to represent this character in other characters. In the anglepod, Gitta Giraffe just invented the art of building a parachute out of berets and bananas, using the berets as canopy and banana peels as strings. Soon, this new sport spreads all over the world as the new thing to do.
surname Gu
ancient / old / paleo-

= + : At least on German maps, this character actually resembles a cloister. Gitta Giraffe is looking out of an cloister, which arrived at the space station. The cloister is made of a huge mandarin, with a cross on top of it.
happening / instance / reason / cause / intentional / former / old / friend / therefore / hence / (of people) to die, dead

= + : There is an ancient cloister in the space station's bathroom, and Gitta Giraffe once heard a story from her fellow astronauts that there's an old tomb inside with lots of treasure. One day she can't hold herself back anymore and deliberately breaks the cloister open using a sledgehammer.

= + : Mnemonic symbol: This character only appears in 做, so we don't need a strong mnemonic symbol. We should be able to refer to 故 when we think of 故事 or 故意. Because it fits nicely to its components, I'll think of it as in the meaning of 故墓, an old grave.