The character 龟 — “turtle”: how to write it and what it means
turtle, tortoise
The Chinese character 龟 is read guī and means “turtle, tortoise”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 龟
龟 has 7 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 龟, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 龟 is made of
A drawing of a turtle: head on top, shell in the middle, tail below.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 龟
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 龟?
龟 has 7 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 龟 mean?
龟 means “turtle, tortoise”. It appears in 乌龟 (“turtle”).
How do you pronounce 龟?
龟 is read guī. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 龟 have?
7 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 龟 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.
Start for free