The character 客 — “guest”: how to write it and what it means

客
kè

guest

9 strokes · HSK 1

The Chinese character 客 is read kè and means “guest”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 客

客 has 9 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 客, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 客 is made of

On top, 宀 “roof”: a guest is someone under your roof.

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

Words with 客

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 客?

客 has 9 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 客 mean?

客 means “guest”. It appears in 不客气 (“you're welcome”), 请客 (“treat”), 客人 (“guest”), 做客 (“be a guest”).

How do you pronounce 客?

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

How many strokes does 客 have?

9 strokes.

← 不 not气 air →

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 客 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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