How to Write 彗 (huì) — Meaning “comet”

Imagine a comet as a celestial broom: the top part 彐 looks like a broom handle, and the lower part (like 帚) represents the bristles sweeping space. Visualize a bright broom flying across the night sky — that broom is the comet 彗.

The character has 11 strokes. Write the top 彐 first (three horizontal strokes, then a vertical stroke), and then the bottom part (a horizontal stroke, a vertical left-falling stroke, two horizontal strokes, and a vertical hook). A common mistake is making the top 彐 too wide — keep it narrow so the bottom part fits under it.

彗 (comet) has a top part 彐 with a clear broom-like bottom (帚). 彖 (a different character, meaning 'to divine' or a pig's snout) looks similar but has a different bottom — 豕 (pig) instead of 帚. 彘 (meaning 'pig') also has 豕 below, but with extra strokes. In modern usage, only 彗 is common in words like 'comet'.

The character 彗 appears most often in the word 彗星 ('comet'). It is also used in scientific terms like 彗尾 ('comet tail'). In Chinese culture, comets were historically seen as ominous sweeping omens, similar to a broom sweeping away bad luck or bringing change.

Common words containing 彗 include: 彗星 (huì xīng) — comet; 彗尾 (huì wěi) — comet tail; 扫彗 (sǎo huì) — to sweep; (archaic) comet-like sweeping.