<blockquote>
  <p><em>It seems also that it means (or used to mean) "Dagger"/"Sword", however the only references I can find to this character says that that is an old, defunct usage.</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p><a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/747/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">戈</a> as a noun, simply mean 'dagger-axe or halberd'
The reason that it is an old, defunct usage, is no one are using it in modern warfare. Therefore the term 戈 as a weapon had disappeared from common vocabulary</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><em>So, to what degree is this character used in common Mandarin? Is it just thought of as a radical, or does it have some other usage in speech?</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>戈 beside being a common radical, is also part of some 'warfare' related compound words and idiom.</p>

<p>Example:</p>

<p>干戈  = warfare</p>

<p>同室操戈 = infighting; fight between family members, partners or allies (
<em>Two athletes from the same nation fighting for the Gold medal can be described as 同室操戈</em>)</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>止弋為武 </p>
  
  <ol>
  <li><p>toes + dagger-axe = advance with weapon = 武 (force); </p></li>
  <li><p>止(stop)+ dagger-axe = stopping war = force</p></li>
  </ol>
  
  <p><em>#1 is the more likely origin of 武</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>戈 is often used as a transliteration word, for example: 戈壁 in 戈壁沙漠 is a transliteration of Gobi; 探戈 in 探戈舞 is the transliteration of Tango</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-26T02:07:13.843Z
2018-02-26T02:27:11.623Z
2018-02-26T02:27:11.623Z
Tang Ho
<p>in oracle script, 我 (u+6211) is:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/R6vS8.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/R6vS8.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p><a href="http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E6%88%91" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=我</a></p>

<p>then, 戈 (u+6208) is:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/91F5p.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/91F5p.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p><a href="http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E6%88%88" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=戈</a></p>

<p>in which, the right half of 我 is 戈.</p>

<p>further, in cantonese (sydney lay scheme), </p>

<p>我 (u+6211) is ngoh5, <a href="http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/sound/ngo5.Mp3" rel="nofollow noreferrer">sound file</a></p>

<p>戈 (u+6208) is gwoh1, <a href="http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/sound/gwo1.Mp3" rel="nofollow noreferrer">sound file</a></p>

<p>both share the same final <strong>oh</strong>. we might say that "戈" is the phonetic component of the character of "我"</p>

<p>most of the usages of "戈" are weapons / arms related, like "干戈".</p>

<p><a href="http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/cgi-bin/cbdic/gsweb.cgi?o=dcbdic&amp;searchid=Z00000069665" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/cgi-bin/cbdic/gsweb.cgi?o=dcbdic&amp;searchid=Z00000069665</a></p>

<p>and yes, it's one of the 214 radicals.</p>

<p>have fun :)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-25T19:14:59.113Z
2018-02-25T19:14:59.113Z
水巷孑蠻
<p>I understand that the phonetic part of 我 (wo3) is pronounced 戈 (ge1). It seems also that it means (or used to mean) "Dagger"/"Sword", however the only references I can find to this character says that that is an old, defunct usage.</p>

<p>So, to what degree is this character used in common Mandarin? Is it just thought of as a radical, or does it have some other usage in speech?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-25T18:54:11.143Z
It's part of the word for the Gobi desert 戈壁沙漠, very common.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-25T18:54:36.850Z
see e.g. bkrs, esp  #10697 (frequency) https://bkrs.info/slovo.php?ch=%E6%88%88
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-26T02:23:40.583Z
戈壁 in戈壁沙漠 is a transliteration of Gobi
Tang Ho
<characters><radicals>
To what degree is 戈 used in common Mandarin?
# To what degree is 戈 used in common Mandarin?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-02-25)

I understand that the phonetic part of 我 (wo3) is pronounced 戈 (ge1). It seems also that it means (or used to mean) "Dagger"/"Sword", however the only references I can find to this character says that that is an old, defunct usage.

So, to what degree is this character used in common Mandarin? Is it just thought of as a radical, or does it have some other usage in speech?

**Tags:** characters, radicals

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: It's part of the word for the Gobi desert 戈壁沙漠, very common.  
> **username_2**: see e.g. bkrs, esp  #10697 (frequency) https://bkrs.info/slovo.php?ch=%E6%88%88  
> **username_3**: 戈壁 in戈壁沙漠 is a transliteration of Gobi  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-02-26. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

> *It seems also that it means (or used to mean) "Dagger"/"Sword", however the only references I can find to this character says that that is an old, defunct usage.*

[戈](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/747/) as a noun, simply mean 'dagger-axe or halberd'
The reason that it is an old, defunct usage, is no one are using it in modern warfare. Therefore the term 戈 as a weapon had disappeared from common vocabulary

> *So, to what degree is this character used in common Mandarin? Is it just thought of as a radical, or does it have some other usage in speech?*

戈 beside being a common radical, is also part of some 'warfare' related compound words and idiom.

Example:

干戈 = warfare

同室操戈 = infighting; fight between family members, partners or allies (
*Two athletes from the same nation fighting for the Gold medal can be described as 同室操戈*)

> 止弋為武
>
> 1. toes + dagger-axe = advance with weapon = 武 (force);
> 2. 止(stop)+ dagger-axe = stopping war = force
>
> *#1 is the more likely origin of 武*

戈 is often used as a transliteration word, for example: 戈壁 in 戈壁沙漠 is a transliteration of Gobi; 探戈 in 探戈舞 is the transliteration of Tango


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2018-02-25. Score: 0

in oracle script, 我 (u+6211) is:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/R6vS8.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/R6vS8.png)

[http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=我](http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E6%88%91)

then, 戈 (u+6208) is:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/91F5p.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/91F5p.png)

[http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=戈](http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/search.php?word=%E6%88%88)

in which, the right half of 我 is 戈.

further, in cantonese (sydney lay scheme),

我 (u+6211) is ngoh5, [sound file](http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/sound/ngo5.Mp3)

戈 (u+6208) is gwoh1, [sound file](http://humanum.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/lexi-mf/sound/gwo1.Mp3)

both share the same final **oh**. we might say that "戈" is the phonetic component of the character of "我"

most of the usages of "戈" are weapons / arms related, like "干戈".

<http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/cgi-bin/cbdic/gsweb.cgi?o=dcbdic&searchid=Z00000069665>

and yes, it's one of the 214 radicals.

have fun :)


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