垮 meaning and stroke order
To collapse (lit. or fig.)
How to write 垮, stroke by stroke
9 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 垮
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to collapse (lit. or fig.)
How 垮 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Earth.
土 gives the meaning and 夸 hints at the sound.
Radical: 土 (soil), shared by 183 characters on this site.
How to remember 垮
垮 is made of 土 (tǔ, earth) on the left and 夸 (kuā) on the right, which gives the sound. Picture an earthen wall that someone boasted about (夸 means to boast) suddenly crumbling into dirt.
垮 means to collapse, either physically like a wall or a bridge, or figuratively like a person, a company, or a government. It often appears as a result complement after a verb, as in 打垮 (dǎkuǎ, to defeat) or 累垮 (lèikuǎ, to wear out). Example: 他工作太多，身体累垮了。(Tā gōngzuò tài duō, shēntǐ lèikuǎ le.) He worked too much and his health broke down.
Common mistake: Learners often write 跨 (kuà, to step across) instead of 垮, since both use 夸 for the sound. Remember that 垮 has 土 because things fall to the ground, while 跨 has 足 because you step with your feet, and note the tones differ: kuǎ versus kuà.
Common words with 垮
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 打垮 | dǎkuǎ | to defeat; to strike down | |
| 垮台 | kuǎtái | (of a dynasty, regime etc) to collapse; to fall from power | |
| 拖垮 | tuōkuǎ | to drag down; to bring down |
垮 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 垮
How many strokes are in 垮?
垮 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 垮 mean?
垮 (kuǎ) means to collapse (lit. or fig.). A common word with it is 打垮 (dǎkuǎ), meaning "to defeat; to strike down".
How do you pronounce 垮?
垮 is pronounced kuǎ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 垮?
The radical of 垮 is 土, which carries the idea of "soil". Dictionaries list 垮 under this radical.
Is 垮 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 垮 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 垮 and 塌 (tā)?
塌 usually describes a physical structure caving in, like a roof or a house, as in 倒塌 (dǎotā). 垮 can also be physical, but it is used much more for figurative collapse, such as a person's health, a business, or a regime.
Can 垮 be used on its own as a verb?
Yes. You can say 房子垮了 (fángzi kuǎ le, the house collapsed) or 公司垮了 (gōngsī kuǎ le, the company went under). It is also very common as the second part of a verb compound like 打垮 or 拖垮.