廓 meaning and stroke order
Broad, wide; open; empty; outline
How to write 廓, stroke by stroke
13 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 廓
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) extensive; vast
- (bound form) outline; general shape
- (bound form) to expand; to extend
How 廓 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Wide.
广 gives the meaning and 郭 hints at the sound.
Radical: 广 (broad), shared by 60 characters on this site.
How to remember 廓
廓 is a broad roof 广 (guǎng, wide) sheltering 郭 (guō, outer city wall). Picture a wide space enclosed by an outer wall, and you get both "vast" and "outline".
廓 is a bound form, so it almost always appears inside words rather than alone. The most common word is 轮廓 (lúnkuò), meaning outline or silhouette, and you may also see 开廓 or 寥廓 in literary writing. Example: 我只看到他的轮廓。 (Wǒ zhǐ kàndào tā de lúnkuò.) I could only see his silhouette.
Common mistake: Learners often write 郭 (guō) or 阔 (kuò, wide) instead of 廓. 阔 sounds the same and also means wide, but 轮廓 is never written with 阔.
Common words with 廓
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 轮廓 | lúnkuò | outline; silhouette | HSK 7-9 |
廓 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 廓
How many strokes are in 廓?
廓 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 廓 mean?
廓 (kuò) means broad, wide; open; empty; outline. A common word with it is 轮廓 (lúnkuò), meaning "outline; silhouette".
How do you pronounce 廓?
廓 is pronounced kuò, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 廓?
The radical of 廓 is 广, which carries the idea of "broad". Dictionaries list 廓 under this radical.
Is 廓 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 廓 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 廓 and 阔?
Both are read kuò and relate to wideness. 阔 is the everyday word for wide, as in 宽阔 (kuānkuò, broad), while 廓 mainly appears in 轮廓 (outline) and formal or literary words.
Why is 廓 pronounced kuò if its sound part is 郭 (guō)?
郭 gives the general sound family, but sound components often shifted over time. The final -uo matches, while the initial and tone changed, so treat the hint as approximate.