怀 meaning and stroke order
Bosom, breast; to carry in one's bosom
How to write 怀, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Meaning of 怀
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- bosom
- heart
- mind
- to think of
- to harbor in one's mind
- to conceive (a child)
How 怀 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
忄 gives the meaning and 不 hints at the sound.
Radical: 忄 (heart), shared by 167 characters on this site.
How to remember 怀
怀 has the heart radical 忄 on the left and 不 (bù) on the right. Picture holding a feeling in your heart that you will not (不) let go of, which is what it means to carry something in your bosom.
怀 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It appears in words about feelings and memories like 怀念 (huáiniàn) and 怀疑 (huáiyí), and about holding someone close, as in 怀里 (huái li). Example: 孩子在妈妈怀里睡着了。(Háizi zài māma huái li shuìzháo le.) The child fell asleep in his mother's arms.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 怀 with 坏 (huài, bad), which has the earth radical 土 instead of the heart radical. The tones differ too: 怀 is second tone huái, while 坏 is fourth tone huài.
Common words with 怀
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 怀疑 | huáiyí | to doubt (sth); to be skeptical of; to have one's doubts; to harbor suspicions; to suspect | HSK 4 |
| 怀念 | huáiniàn | to cherish the memory of; to think of | HSK 4 |
| 关怀 | guānhuái | care; solicitude | HSK 5 |
| 怀孕 | huáiyùn | pregnant; to have conceived | HSK 7-9 |
| 怀抱 | huáibào | to hug; to cherish | HSK 7-9 |
| 怀里 | huái li | embrace; bosom | HSK 7-9 |
| 怀着 | huáizhe | HSK 7-9 | |
| 满怀 | mǎnhuái | to have one's heart filled with; (to collide) full on | HSK 7-9 |
| 怀旧 | huáijiù | to feel nostalgic; nostalgia | HSK 7-9 |
| 缅怀 | miǎnhuái | to commemorate; to recall fondly | HSK 7-9 |
| 情怀 | qínghuái | feelings; mood | HSK 7-9 |
| 心怀 | xīnhuái | to harbor (thoughts); to cherish | |
| 释怀 | shìhuái | to get over (a traumatic experience, misgivings etc) | |
| 怀有 | huáiyǒu | to have in one's person (feelings, talent etc) |
怀 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 怀
How many strokes are in 怀?
怀 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 怀 mean?
怀 (huái) means bosom, breast; to carry in one's bosom. A common word with it is 怀疑 (huáiyí), meaning "to doubt (sth); to be skeptical of; to have one's doubts; to harbor suspicions; to suspect".
How do you pronounce 怀?
怀 is pronounced huái, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 怀?
The radical of 怀 is 忄, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 怀 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 怀?
The traditional form of 怀 is 懷. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 怀 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 怀 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 怀 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Why does 怀 contain 不 if it does not mean 'not'?
Here 不 works as a sound component, not a meaning part. The heart radical 忄 gives the meaning, and 不 was chosen as a phonetic hint.
How do you say someone is pregnant using 怀?
Use 怀孕 (huáiyùn), as in 她怀孕了 (tā huáiyùn le), she is pregnant. This reflects the sense of 怀 as carrying something in the body.