各种
gè zhǒng · HSK 3
all kinds of
🗂️ 各 = each + 种 = kind/type → every kind of, all kinds
各 means 'each/every' and 种 means 'kind/type/species' (also 'to plant'). Together they literally read as 'each-kind', covering 'various' or 'all sorts of'. Pairs naturally with a following noun: 各种问题 = all kinds of problems.
各 — 夂 (foot coming down) + 口 (mouth/enclosure)
Originally depicted a foot (夂) arriving at a dwelling or settlement (口), suggesting 'each one arriving' at their own place. From this came the meaning 'each' or 'every,' emphasizing individual instances. The character is now used purely for this grammatical sense.
种 — grain radical 禾 + heavy 重 (phonetic)
种 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 禾 (grain) gives the meaning, while 重 supplies the sound. Originally it referred to seeds and the act of sowing grain, then broadened to 'kind' or 'type' (a category, like a strain of seed). In simplified Chinese it also absorbed the traditional 種.