How to Write 郐 (kuài) — Meaning “Kuai (a surname / ancient state)”

Imagine a meeting (会) of people at a small city (阝) — that is the ancient State of Kuai. This visual of a gathering in a tiny state helps link the parts to the meaning and pronunciation.

Write the left radical 阝 first (2 strokes: horizontal hook then vertical), then the right part 会: begin with 人 (2 strokes), then 云 (4 strokes: horizontal, horizontal, hook, dot). A common mistake is writing 云 with the wrong stroke order or missing the hook; keep the right part slightly wider than the left.

The right parts differ: 郐 has 会 (meeting), 邠 has 分 (divide), and 邡 has 方 (square). Visually, 郐's top right is a slanting 人, while 邠 has a 刀 below 分, and 邡 has a 方. All are rare place names or surnames, but their right components are unique.

郐 is a rare surname and appears mainly in historical texts referring to the ancient State of Kuai (郐国). It also appears in the phrase 曹郐 (Cao and Kuai), which describes two insignificant states, used metaphorically for unimportant matters. It is not in the HSK and is seldom used in daily conversation.

Common words containing 郐 include: 郐先生 (kuài xiān shēng) — Mr. Kuai; 郐国 (kuài guó) — State of Kuai; 曹郐 (cáo kuài) — Cao and Kuai (insignificant states or people).