会 meaning and stroke order
Can; to have the skill; to know how to; to be likely to; to be sure to; to meet; to get together
How to write 会, stroke by stroke
6 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
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Meaning of 会
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- can; to have the skill; to know how to
- to be likely to; to be sure to
- to meet; to get together
- meeting; gathering
- (suffix) union; group; association
- (bound form) a moment (Taiwan pr. [hui3])
- (bound form) to reckon accounts
How 会 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. People 人 speaking 云.
Radical: 人 (man), shared by 30 characters on this site.
How to remember 会
The top is 人 (rén, person) and the bottom is 云 (yún), which can suggest speaking. Picture people 人 gathering to talk 云, and you have a meeting, 会 (huì).
会 (huì) is very common as a helping verb meaning "can" for learned skills, or "will, is likely to" for predictions. It also means "meeting" in words like 开会 (kāihuì) and 晚会 (wǎnhuì). Example: 我会说中文。(Wǒ huì shuō Zhōngwén.) I can speak Chinese.
Common mistake: Learners often use 会 for every kind of "can." Use 会 for learned skills, 能 (néng) for ability or permission in a situation, and 可以 (kěyǐ) for permission. Also do not write the bottom as 去 (qù). It is 云, with no vertical stroke through the middle.
Common words with 会
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一会儿 | yīhuìr | a moment; a while | HSK 1 |
| 开会 | kāihuì | to hold or attend a meeting | HSK 1 |
| 机会 | jīhuì | opportunity; chance | HSK 2 |
| 晚会 | wǎnhuì | evening party | HSK 2 |
| 音乐会 | yīnyuèhuì | concert | HSK 2 |
| 那会儿 | nàhuìr | at that time (in the past or the future); also pr. [nei4 hui4 r5] | HSK 2 |
| 不一会儿 | bù yīhuìr | HSK 2 | |
| 社会 | shèhuì | society | HSK 3 |
| 会议 | huìyì | meeting; conference | HSK 3 |
| 体会 | tǐhuì | to know from experience; to learn through experience | HSK 3 |
| 演唱会 | yǎnchànghuì | vocal recital or concert | HSK 3 |
| 会员 | huìyuán | member | HSK 3 |
| 约会 | yuēhuì | appointment; engagement | HSK 4 |
| 聚会 | jùhuì | party; gathering | HSK 4 |
会 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 会
Learning 会 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 会
How many strokes are in 会?
会 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 会 mean?
会 (huì) means can; to have the skill; to know how to; to be likely to; to be sure to; to meet; to get together. A common word with it is 一会儿 (yīhuìr), meaning "a moment; a while".
How do you pronounce 会?
会 is pronounced huì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 会?
The radical of 会 is 人, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 会 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 会?
The traditional form of 会 is 會. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 会 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 会 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 会 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
When is 会 pronounced kuài instead of huì?
会 is read kuài only in a few words about accounting, most commonly 会计 (kuàijì), accountant or accounting. In everyday use it is almost always huì.
How do I use 会 to talk about the future?
Put 会 before a verb to say something will or is likely to happen, for example 明天会下雨 (míngtiān huì xià yǔ), it will rain tomorrow. The negative is 不会 (bú huì), meaning "won't" or "isn't likely to."