凯 meaning and stroke order
Triumphant; triumph, victory
How to write 凯, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 凯
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) triumphal music
- (Tw) (coll.) generous with money; lavish in spending
- chi (Greek letter Χχ)
How 凯 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 几 (small table), shared by 9 characters on this site.
How to remember 凯
On the left is 岂 (qǐ), a mountain 山 on top of 己, and on the right is 几 (jī), a small table. Picture the victorious army marching down from the mountain and setting the table for a victory feast.
凯 (kǎi) is a bound form, so it almost always appears inside set words like 凯旋 (kǎixuán) and 凯歌 (kǎigē). It also shows up in names and in foreign transliterations. Example: 队员们凯旋归来。(Duìyuánmen kǎixuán guīlái.) The team members returned in triumph.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 凯 with 岂 (qǐ, how could) because 凯 contains it. 凯 adds 几 on the right and is read kǎi in the third tone, not qǐ. Another trap is mixing up 凯旋 (kǎixuán) with 盘旋 (pánxuán, to circle) because both end in 旋.
Common words with 凯
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 凯歌 | kǎigē | triumphal hymn; victory song; paean | HSK 7-9 |
| 凯旋 | kǎixuán | to return in triumph; to return victorious |
凯 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 凯
How many strokes are in 凯?
凯 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 凯 mean?
凯 (kǎi) means triumphant; triumph, victory. A common word with it is 凯歌 (kǎigē), meaning "triumphal hymn; victory song; paean".
How do you pronounce 凯?
凯 is pronounced kǎi, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 凯?
The radical of 凯 is 几, which carries the idea of "small table". Dictionaries list 凯 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 凯?
The traditional form of 凯 is 凱. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 凯 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 凯 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 凯 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 凯 be used by itself to mean victory?
Not in normal modern Chinese. On its own it sounds incomplete, so use 胜利 (shènglì) for victory, or a set word like 凯旋 when you mean returning in triumph.
What does 凯 mean in Taiwanese slang?
In colloquial Taiwanese Mandarin, 凯 can describe someone who is generous with money or spends lavishly. It is informal and not standard in mainland usage. 凯 can also stand for the Greek letter chi (Χχ).