匮 meaning and stroke order
To lack; lacking, deficient; exhausted; empty
How to write 匮, stroke by stroke
11 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 匮
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to lack
- lacking
- empty
- exhausted
- variant of 櫃|柜[gui4]
How 匮 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Box.
匚 gives the meaning and 贵 hints at the sound.
Radical: 匚 (box), shared by 14 characters on this site.
How to remember 匮
匮 is a box 匚 (fāng) with something precious 贵 (guì) inside, but the box is open on one side. Picture valuables slipping out of the open box until it is empty, so you are left lacking.
匮 (kuì) is a formal, written character and almost always appears in the word 匮乏 (kuìfá), used for shortages of resources, money, or knowledge. Example: 这里的水资源很匮乏。(Zhèlǐ de shuǐ zīyuán hěn kuìfá.) Water resources here are very scarce.
Common mistake: Learners often read 匮 as guì because of the phonetic part 贵 (guì), but in its common meaning it is kuì, fourth tone. Also do not confuse it with 溃 (kuì, to burst or collapse) or 愧 (kuì, ashamed), which share the sound but have different radicals.
Common words with 匮
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 匮乏 | kuìfá | to be deficient in sth; to be short of sth (supplies, money etc) |
匮 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 匮
How many strokes are in 匮?
匮 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 匮 mean?
匮 (kuì) means to lack; lacking, deficient; exhausted; empty. A common word with it is 匮乏 (kuìfá), meaning "to be deficient in sth; to be short of sth (supplies, money etc)".
How do you pronounce 匮?
匮 is pronounced kuì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 匮?
The radical of 匮 is 匚, which carries the idea of "box". Dictionaries list 匮 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 匮?
The traditional form of 匮 is 匱. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 匮 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Can I use 匮 on its own in everyday speech?
Rarely. In speech people say 缺 (quē) or 缺少 (quēshǎo) for lacking. 匮 mainly lives in 匮乏 and in formal or literary writing.
Why does 匮 also have the reading guì?
In older texts 匮 was used as a variant of 柜 (guì), meaning a cabinet or box, which fits its box component 匚. In modern Chinese you write 柜 for cabinet, so you will meet the guì reading mostly in classical texts.