The character 贝 — “shell”: how to write it and what it means
shell
The Chinese character 贝 is read bèi and means “shell”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 贝
贝 has 4 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 贝, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 贝 is made of
A drawing of a shell: in ancient times shells served as money. That's why 贝 appears in characters about money: 贵, 费, 购.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 贝
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 贝?
贝 has 4 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 贝 mean?
贝 means “shell”. It appears in 宝贝 (“treasure”).
How do you pronounce 贝?
贝 is read bèi. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 贝 have?
4 strokes.
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 贝 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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