改 (gǎi): to change, to alter, to transform
改 (gǎi) is a Chinese character meaning “to change.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 己 (structural) and 攵 (structural). It ranks #350 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 改 a hand with a stick 攵 disciplining a kneeling child 己. Its radical form 攵 (rap) appears in many related characters such as 放 (fàng, to put, to release), 教 (jiào, (bound form) to teach), 收 (shōu, to receive).
Definitions
- to change
- to alter
- to transform
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA hand with a stick 攵 disciplining a kneeling child 己
Decomposition: ⿰己攵 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 改 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 改
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 改变verb | gǎi biàn | to change | 4 |
| 修改verb | xiū gǎi | to amend | 5 |
| 改造verb | gǎi zào | to transform | 6 |
| 改进verb | gǎi jìn | to improve | 5 |
| 改善verb | gǎi shàn | to make better | 5 |
| 改天adverb | gǎi tiān | another day | 5 |
| 改编verb | gǎi biān | to adapt | 6 |
| 改革verb | gǎi gé | reform | 5 |
| 改正verb | gǎi zhèng | to correct | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 更改verb | gēng gǎi | to alter |
| 改装verb | gǎi zhuāng | to change one's costume |
| 改过自新phrase | gǎi guò zì xīn | to reform and start afresh (idiom) |
| 改动verb | gǎi dòng | to alter |
| 改头换面phrase | gǎi tóu huàn miàn | to change outwardly while remaining essentially the same (derog.) (idiom) |
| 改写verb | gǎi xiě | to revise |
| 篡改verb | cuàn gǎi | to tamper with |
| 改掉verb | gǎi diào | to correct (a bad habit etc) |
| 改过verb | gǎi guò | to correct one's errors |
| 改观verb | gǎi guān | change of appearance |
| 改名verb | gǎi míng | to rename |
| 改良verb | gǎi liáng | to improve (sth) |
| 改邪归正phrase | gǎi xié guī zhèng | to mend one's ways (idiom) |
| 悔改verb | huǐ gǎi | to repent |
| 改用verb | gǎi yòng | to change over to |
改 appears in 100 compound words: 67 as the first character, 25 as the last, and 8 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 改 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (19)
to correct in the evening a fault of the morning (idiom); to quickly amend one's ways
lit. heard in the morning and changed by the evening; to correct an error very quickly (idiom)
to improve one's family's social status by moving up in the world; to switch one's allegiance to a new patron
to reform; to rehabilitate; to turn over a new leaf; to stop committing evil acts and stay on the straight and narrow
to improve one's family's social status by moving up in the world; to switch one's allegiance to a new patron
to correct in the evening a fault of the morning (idiom); to quickly amend one's ways
lit. heard in the morning and changed by the evening; to correct an error very quickly (idiom)
Showing 12 of 19 idioms containing 改.
Example Sentences
他决定改掉熬夜的习惯，开始早睡早起。
Tā juédìng gǎi diào áoyè de xíguàn, kāishǐ zǎo shuì zǎo qǐ.
He decided to change his habit of staying up late and started going to bed early and waking up early.
無照男改車炸街遭攔 不滿挨罰+扣車飆國罵!妨害公...
無 zhào nán gǎi 車 zhà jiē zāo 攔 bù 滿 āi 罰 kòu 車 飆 國 罵 ! fáng hài gōng . . .
Unlicensed driver modifies car for street racing, gets pulled over. Upset over fine and impounded vehicle, he spews profanities! Obstructing public...
2026年香寺庙会:改变管理思维,塑造国家级庙会形象
nián xiāng sì miào huì gǎi biàn guǎn lǐ sī wéi , sù zào guó jiā jí miào huì xíng xiàng
2026 Xiang Temple Fair: Transforming Management Paradigms to Forge a National-Level Temple Fair Image
海外大神爆改ROG Ally 重現36年「GameB...
hǎi wài dà shén bào gǎi chóng 現 nián . . .
Overseas guru completely overhauls ROG Ally, recreates 36-year-old "GameB…"
速霸陸小改款Solterra台灣送測曝!傳導入高階...
sù bà 陸 xiǎo gǎi kuǎn tái 灣 sòng 測 pù ! 傳 導 rù gāo 階 . . .
Subaru's facelifted Solterra spotted undergoing testing in Taiwan! Rumored to introduce high-end...
改善碼頭計劃涵蓋23個公眾碼頭 其中10個...
gǎi shàn 碼 頭 計 劃 hán 蓋 個 gōng 眾 碼 頭 qí zhōng 個 . . .
The Pier Improvement Program covers 23 public piers, including 10...
...鯉魚潭遭中央切割」 傅崐萁:民進黨政府不改善也不道歉
. . . 鯉 魚 tán zāo zhōng yāng qiē gē fù 崐 萁 mín 進 黨 zhèng fǔ bù gǎi shàn yě bù dào qiàn
"Central Government Diverts Liyu Lake" Fu Kun-chi: DPP Administration Neither Improves Nor Apologizes
美国这座机场要改名“唐纳德·特朗普国际机场”
měi guó zhè zuò jī chǎng yāo gǎi míng táng nà dé tè lǎng pǔ guó jì jī chǎng
This U.S. airport is set to be renamed "Donald Trump International Airport."
我要改变我的饮食吗？
Wǒ yào gǎibiàn wǒ de yǐnshí ma?
Do I have to change my diet?
你说今晚改变一下，去外面吃晚饭怎么样？
Nǐ shuō jīnwǎn gǎibiàn yīxià, qù wàimiàn chī wǎnfàn zěnmeyàng?
How about eating out this evening for a change?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 改 (gǎi) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 改 have?
What is the radical of 改?
What are the components of 改?
What are common words containing 改?
What characters sound the same as 改 (gǎi)?
Is 改 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 改 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.