How to Write 隗 (kuí) — Meaning “Wei (a surname)”

Picture a ghost (鬼) standing on a small mound (阝), which looks like a grave site. That eerie scene helps you recall the pronunciation kuí, sounding like "queasy" from the spooky feeling. This links the visual components to the surname Wei.

Write the left radical 阝 first as two strokes: a hook and a vertical line. The right part 鬼 has 9 strokes; ensure the 田 (field) inside 鬼 is not too wide, and the final 厶 (private) is written under it. Common mistake: making the 鬼 too tall or forgetting the dot on top of 鬼.

隗 (kuí) is a surname, while 郗 (xī) is also a surname but with a different phonetic (希). 郛 (fú) means "outer wall of a city" and is not a surname. Visually, 隗 has 鬼 on the right, 郗 has 希, and 郛 has 子 on the right under 一.

隗 is a rare Chinese surname, pronounced Kuí, not Wei (which is a different character 魏). It appears in historical names like 隗嚣 (Kuí Xiāo) and in clan references like 隗氏. You may encounter it in ancient texts or as a surname in some families.

Common words containing 隗 include: 姓隗 (xìng kuí) — Surname Wei; 隗氏 (kuí shì) — the Wei clan; 隗嚣 (kuí xiāo) — Wei Xiao (a historical figure).