each; every; various
HSK level
各 is written with 6 strokes. The animation replays automatically.
各 (gè) is a distributive pronoun/determiner meaning 'each,' 'every,' or 'various,' pointing to the individual members of a group considered separately.
It attaches directly before a noun or measure word — 各国 'each country,' 各种 'various kinds,' 各位 'everyone (respectfully addressed).' Two differences from English 'each.' First, 各 often needs no measure word and fuses tightly into compounds (各地, 各人, 各自), whereas English 'each' stays a separate word.
Second, 各 differs from 每 (měi): 每 emphasizes that a rule applies to every single one uniformly ('every day the same'), while 各 emphasizes that the members are different from one another and act separately ('each in their own way'). So 各有各的想法 means 'each has their own idea.' Register is neutral to slightly written; 各位 is polite for addressing a group.
Note: Slightly bookish. In casual speech 每 (měi) or 每个 is more common; 各 feels more written or formal, especially in phrases like 各位 or 各国.
各位，请安静一下。
Gèwèi, qǐng ānjìng yíxià.
Everyone, please be quiet for a moment.
polite
商店里有各种水果。
Shāngdiàn lǐ yǒu gèzhǒng shuǐguǒ.
The store has all kinds of fruit.
neutral
我们各自付各自的。
Wǒmen gèzì fù gèzì de.
Let's each pay for our own.
spoken
每个人的想法各不相同。
Měi ge rén de xiǎngfǎ gè bù xiāngtóng.
Everyone's ideas are all different from one another.
written
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