快 meaning and stroke order
Rapid; quick; speed
How to write 快, stroke by stroke
7 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 快
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- rapid
- quick
- speed
- rate
- soon
- almost
How 快 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A decisive 夬 will 忄; 夬 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 忄 (heart), shared by 167 characters on this site.
How to remember 快
快 combines the heart radical 忄 with 夬 (guài), which gives the sound. Picture a decisive heart 忄 that makes up its mind at once, so things move fast.
快 (kuài) means fast, and it also means soon or about to, often in the pattern 快……了. It appears in common words like 快乐 (kuàilè, happy) and 快餐 (kuàicān, fast food). Example: 我们快到了。 (Wǒmen kuài dào le.) We are almost there.
Common mistake: Learners often forget the 了 in 快……了, saying 我快到 instead of 我快到了 when they mean "I'm almost there." Also, do not confuse 快 with 块 (kuài, piece, yuan), which sounds the same but has the earth radical 土 instead of the heart 忄.
Common words with 快
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 快乐 | kuàilè | happy; joyful | HSK 2 |
| 快要 | kuàiyào | nearly at the point of (doing sth); about to (do sth) | HSK 2 |
| 快点儿 | kuài diǎnr | erhua variant of 快點|快点[kuai4 dian3] | HSK 2 |
| 凉快 | liángkuai | pleasantly cool (weather etc); to cool oneself; to cool off | HSK 2 |
| 快餐 | kuàicān | fast food; snack | HSK 2 |
| 赶快 | gǎnkuài | quickly; at once | HSK 3 |
| 快速 | kuàisù | fast; high-speed; rapid | HSK 3 |
| 加快 | jiākuài | to accelerate; to speed up; to hasten | HSK 3 |
| 尽快 | jǐnkuài | as quickly as possible; as soon as possible | HSK 4 |
| 痛快 | tòngkuài | delighted; to one's heart's content | HSK 4 |
| 快递 | kuàidì | express delivery | HSK 4 |
| 快活 | kuàihuo | happy; cheerful | HSK 5 |
| 愉快 | yúkuài | cheerful; happy; pleasant; delighted | HSK 6 |
| 快车 | kuàichē | express (train, bus etc) | HSK 6 |
快 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 快
Learning 快 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 快
How many strokes are in 快?
快 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 快 mean?
快 (kuài) means rapid; quick; speed. A common word with it is 快乐 (kuàilè), meaning "happy; joyful".
How do you pronounce 快?
快 is pronounced kuài, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 快?
The radical of 快 is 忄, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 快 under this radical.
Is 快 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 快 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.
How do I say "hurry up" in Chinese with 快?
Say 快点儿 (kuài diǎnr) or 快点 (kuài diǎn), meaning "a bit faster." 赶快 (gǎnkuài) also works, as in 赶快走 (gǎnkuài zǒu), "leave right away."
Why does 快乐 mean happy if 快 means fast?
The heart radical 忄 points to feelings, and 快 can also carry a sense of pleasure or ease. That sense survives in words like 快乐 (kuàilè, happy) and 凉快 (liángkuai, pleasantly cool).