桂 meaning and stroke order
Cassia, cinnamon
How to write 桂, stroke by stroke
10 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 桂
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- cassia
- laurel
How 桂 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Tree.
木 gives the meaning and 圭 hints at the sound.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 桂
桂 is a tree 木 (mù) on the left with 圭 (guī) on the right. 圭 gives the sound guì, and 木 tells you it is a tree, like the cassia or osmanthus tree.
桂 mostly appears in words for fragrant trees and spices, such as 桂花 (guìhuā, osmanthus) and 肉桂 (ròuguì, Chinese cinnamon). It is also the short name for Guangxi province, as in 桂林 (Guìlín). Example: 秋天桂花很香。(Qiūtiān guìhuā hěn xiāng.) Osmanthus flowers smell lovely in autumn.
Common mistake: Learners often read 桂 with the first tone because of its phonetic part 圭 (guī), but 桂 is fourth tone, guì. Also do not confuse it with 挂 (guà, to hang), which has the hand radical 扌 instead of 木.
Common words with 桂
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
桂 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 桂
How many strokes are in 桂?
桂 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 桂 mean?
桂 (guì) means cassia, cinnamon. A common word with it is 桂花 (guìhuā), meaning "osmanthus flowers; Osmanthus fragrans".
How do you pronounce 桂?
桂 is pronounced guì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 桂?
The radical of 桂 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 桂 under this radical.
Is 桂 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 桂 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Does 桂花 mean cinnamon flower?
No. 桂花 (guìhuā) is osmanthus, a small fragrant flower used in teas, wine and sweets. Cinnamon is 肉桂 (ròuguì).
Why does 桂 appear in Chinese place names?
桂 is the official one-character abbreviation for Guangxi, so you see it on license plates there. It also appears in city names like 桂林 (Guìlín).