How to Write 快 (kuài) — Meaning “Fast; quick; happy”

Imagine a happy heart (忄) that is so joyful it runs fast—the right side 夬 looks like a person sprinting with arms stretched forward. You can also think of the shape 夬 as a "quick" arrow shooting from the heart. This helps you remember both the sound (kuài) and the dual meanings.

Pay close attention to the heart radical: first write the left vertical stroke, then the left dot, then the right dot—make sure the dots are small and placed properly. The right side 夬 has four strokes: horizontal, vertical, left-falling, and right-falling; do not confuse it with the character 大 (dà). Keep the left side narrow and the right side wider for balanced proportions.

The radical 忄 (heart) appears in all three, but the right side differs: 快 has 夬 (like a "broken" shape), 忉 has 刀 (knife), and 忏 has 千 (thousand). In meaning, 快 is common for "fast" and "happy", while 忉 is rare and means "grieved", and 忏 is used in 忏悔 (chànhuǐ, to repent). Visually, remember that 快's right side has a horizontal line through the middle, unlike the others.

快 is very common in daily life: for speed you see it in 很快 (hěn kuài, very fast) and 快点 (kuài diǎn, hurry up), and for happiness in 快乐 (kuài lè, joyful), especially in greetings like 新年快乐 (Happy New Year). It also appears in words like 快餐 (kuài cān, fast food) and 快速 (kuài sù, rapid). The character carries a positive, energetic tone in modern Chinese.

Common words containing 快 include: 快乐 (kuài lè) — Happy; joyful; 很快 (hěn kuài) — Very fast; 快点 (kuài diǎn) — Hurry up; faster.