Hanzi Writer

How to Write 魁 (kuí) — Meaning “Chief”

kuí HSK Level 7 13 strokes Radical: 鬼

魁 (kuí) means "Chief" in Chinese. It has 13 strokes with the radical 鬼, and is HSK Level 7.

Rated 4.2/5 in difficulty (advanced).

Harder than 99% of HSK Level 7 characters.

Appears in 3+ common words including 魁梧 (kuí wú), 夺魁 (duó kuí), 魁首 (kuí shǒu).

Due to its 13 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 魁 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 魁 - kuí

Practice Writing 魁 (kuí)

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How to Write 魁

The character 魁 (kuí) is written with 13 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 鬼 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does kuí (魁) Mean in Chinese?

魁 means Chief.

As an HSK Level 7 character, 魁 is an intermediate-level character.

Character Data

Character魁
Pinyinkuí (kui)
MeaningChief
Strokes13
Radical鬼
HSK Level7
Difficulty4.2/5

Origin of 魁

魁 combines the radical 鬼 (ghost/spirit) with 斗 (dipper, a measuring tool). In ancient Chinese astronomy, the Big Dipper (北斗) was seen as the chief among stars, and the ghost radical adds a sense of spiritual authority, so 魁 came to mean 'chief' or 'leader'.

💡 Memory Tip: Picture a ghost (鬼) clutching a giant dipper (斗) like a scepter, crowning itself the chief of the spirit world.

Common Words with 魁

魁梧 kuí wú
Well-built
夺魁 duó kuí
to win first prize / to come first
魁首 kuí shǒu
The best

Example Sentences

那个运动员很魁梧。

nà ge yùn dòng yuán hěn kuí wú

That athlete is very well-built.

他在比赛中夺魁。

tā zài bǐ sài zhōng duó kuí

He won the championship in the competition.

他是班里的魁首。

tā shì bān lǐ de kuí shǒu

He is the head of the class.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
魁 (current) kuí 13 鬼
魂 hún 13 鬼
魃 bá 14 鬼
魄 pò 14 鬼
Stroke order practice for 魁 - kuí

Practice Writing 魁 (kuí)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 魁 with real-time feedback.

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Frequently Asked Questions about 魁

魁 is composed of 鬼 (ghost) on the left and 斗 (dipper) on the right. The 鬼 radical gives it a supernatural or powerful feeling, while 斗 originally meant a large ladle, hinting at something big or chief. Together they create the meaning "chief" or "leader."

More HSK Level 7 Characters

伯bó呵hē哎āi哀āi唉āi/ài癌ái艾ài/yì滋zī抚fǔ逸yì昂áng凹āo/wā熬āo/áo奥ào卦guà扒bā/pá芭bā蕾lěi柄bǐng靶bǎ

Characters with Radical 鬼

鬼guǐ魂hún魃bá魄pò魅mèi魆xū魇yǎn魈xiāo魉liǎng魍wǎng

Other 13-Stroke Characters

䧹yīng亶dǎn催cuī傺chì傻shǎ傿yàn像xiàng剽piāo剿jiǎo勤qín