送给
sòng gěi · to give as a present
这是我送给你的礼物。
This is the gift I gave you.
Chinese character · HSK 1
给 (gěi) — “to give / to”
给 is a phono-semantic character: 纟 suggests silk/thread and 合 gives the sound. Turning 纟 into a ribbon that wraps a 合-shaped present ties the structure to the meaning “to give.”
Memory cue
A silk ribbon 纟 wraps a closed 合-shaped gift: here, I give it to you.
Video mnemonic
Watch 给 in motion
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Common ways to use 给
给 is usually read gěi in words about giving, handing something to someone, or marking a recipient. In the formal verb 给予, it takes the alternate reading jǐ.
交给
jiāo gěi · to hand over to someone
请把表格交给老师。
Please hand the form to the teacher.
还给
huán gěi · to return something to someone
看完以后，请把书还给我。
After you finish reading it, please return the book to me.
Usage note: Here 还 is huán, “return,” not hái, “still.”
给
gěi · to; for, marking the recipient of an action
我给妈妈打了一个电话。
I called my mother.
Usage note: Here 给 introduces the person receiving the call; it is not the main verb “give.”
给予
jǐ yǔ · to give; to provide (formal)
学校给予他很多帮助。
The school provides him with a lot of support.
Usage note: In the formal verb 给予, 给 is read jǐ and means “provide,” rather than taking its everyday reading gěi.
Inside the character
- 纟 (silk thread) — meaning component. The silk side — often marks thread, fabric, binding, or anything made of fiber.
- 合 (join / close) — sound component. Often a sound-bearing piece in 哈 / 给 / 蛤 / 鸽 / 拾 / 拿 / 答 — and carries the sense of joining.
Where 给 comes from
Originally a phono-semantic compound where '纟' (silk) indicated providing materials and '合' provided the sound (jǐ); over time, it evolved into the most common verb for 'to give' (gěi).
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More characters: 罪 (zuì, sin / crime) · 西 (xī, west) · 针 (zhēn, needle) — or browse the full character library.