How to Write 蒯 (kuǎi) — Meaning “Sedge”

Imagine a sedge plant (艹) growing next to a sharp knife (刂) because sedge leaves can be sharp-edged. The left part of the right side looks like a person splitting? Instead, think: 'Kuai (蒯) the grass that is so sharp it needs a bandage (the 刂 part resembles a bandage? No, simpler: Picture a sedge mat (蒯席) made of grass (艹) and tied with a ribbon (the right part resembles a tied bundle).

The character has 13 strokes. The top 艹 is written as two crosses, but note the left and right strokes are curved. The lower left part is 刂 (knife radical), written with a vertical hook and a short left stroke: ensure the vertical hook is straight and not too long. The right part is 月 (moon) with a 刂? Actually it's 剞: inside the right side is 月 and below is 刂? But common simplification: the right component is 剞 (jī) which has a 月 on top and 刂 on bottom. Pay attention to the balance: the grass radical is wide, and the lower part is narrow.

蒯 (kuǎi) means sedge grass, while 莿 (cì) means thorn or splinter, with the radical 艹 but a different phonetic 刺. Visually, 莿 has 刺 on the right (with 刂 and 朿), while 蒯 has 剞. 菀 (wǎn, yùn) means luxuriant growth or a type of plant; it has 宛 (wǎn) on the right. The key difference is the phonetic component—蒯 uses 剞, making it sound like kuǎi, not cì or wǎn. In usage, 蒯 is rare and mostly seen in surnames or ancient references to sedge mats.

This character is very uncommon outside of surnames and historical texts. Today, you see it mainly in the surname 蒯 (Kuài), such as in the name of the ancient general 蒯通. It also appears in words like 蒯草 (sedge grass) or 蒯席 (sedge mat), which are used in traditional contexts like bedding or crafts. Most modern Chinese speakers will only encounter it in historical literature or when discussing ancient utensils.

Common words containing 蒯 include: 姓蒯 (xìng kuǎi) — Surname Kuai; 蒯草 (kuǎi cǎo) — Sedge grass; 蒯席 (kuǎi xí) — Sedge mat.