丐 meaning and stroke order
Beggar; to beg; to give
How to write 丐, stroke by stroke
4 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Meaning of 丐
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to beg for alms
- beggar
- variant of 丐[gai4]
How 丐 is built
Pictographic character. A person leaning forward to ask for help.
Radical: 一 (one), shared by 34 characters on this site.
How to remember 丐
丐 (gài) is a pictograph of a person leaning forward to ask for help. Notice the top looks like 下 (xià, down), so picture someone bowing low as they beg.
丐 almost never appears alone in modern Chinese. You will meet it mainly in the word 乞丐 (qǐgài, beggar). Example: 路边有一个乞丐。(Lù biān yǒu yí gè qǐgài.) There is a beggar by the roadside.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 丐 with 丏 (miǎn), which looks almost the same. In 丐 the vertical stroke on the left does not join the bottom line the same way, so check the shape carefully. Also remember the tone is fourth tone, gài, not gǎi like 改.
Common words with 丐
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 乞丐 | qǐgài | beggar | HSK 7-9 |
丐 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 丐
Learning 丐 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 丐
How many strokes are in 丐?
丐 is written with 4 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 丐 mean?
丐 (gài) means beggar; to beg; to give. A common word with it is 乞丐 (qǐgài), meaning "beggar".
How do you pronounce 丐?
丐 is pronounced gài, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 丐?
The radical of 丐 is 一, which carries the idea of "one". Dictionaries list 丐 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 丐?
The traditional form of 丐 is 匃 and 匄. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 丐 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 丐 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 丐 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 乞丐 a polite word to use for a homeless person?
乞丐 means someone who begs, and it can sound blunt or negative. For a person without housing, 无家可归的人 (wú jiā kě guī de rén) is a more neutral description.
Why does the dictionary say 丐 can mean to give?
In classical Chinese, 丐 could mean both to beg and to give or bestow. Modern Chinese only keeps the begging sense, so you can treat to give as a literary meaning.