The character 灰 — “ash”: how to write it and what it means

灰
huī

ash; gray

6 strokes · HSK 5 · word page

The Chinese character 灰 is read huī and means “ash; gray”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 灰

灰 has 6 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.

To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 灰, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 灰 is made of

At the bottom, 火 “fire”: what it leaves behind.

The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.

Words with 灰

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 灰?

灰 has 6 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.

What does 灰 mean?

灰 means “ash; gray”. It appears in 灰色 (“gray”), 灰尘 (“dust”), 灰心 (“discouraged”).

How do you pronounce 灰?

灰 is read huī. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 灰 have?

6 strokes.

← 颗 measure word for small things紫 purple →

More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.

Write 灰 yourself

In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.

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