殼 meaning and stroke order
Casing, husk, shell
How to write 殼, stroke by stroke
12 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 殼
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (coll.) shell (of an egg, nut, crab etc)
- case; casing; housing (of a machine or device)
- (bound form) shell
- Taiwan pr. [ke2]
How 殼 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A hand 殳 striking a shell 壳.
Radical: 殳 (tool), shared by 16 characters on this site.
How to remember 殼
On the left is 壳, a shell, and on the right is 殳, a hand holding a tool to strike. Picture a hand cracking open a hard shell, like breaking an egg or a nut.
In everyday speech it is read ké and means the hard outer layer of eggs, nuts, crabs, or the casing of a machine. In some formal or bound words it is read qiào, as in 地殼 (dìqiào, the Earth's crust). Example: 雞蛋殼很薄。(Jīdàn ké hěn báo.) The eggshell is very thin.
Common mistake: Learners often read every word with ké, but 地殼 (dìqiào) and 軀殼 (qūqiào) use qiào in standard Mainland pronunciation, though Taiwan uses ké for all of them. Also do not drop the 殳 on the right. Writing only 壳 is the simplified form, not this traditional one.
Common words with 殼
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 貝殼 | bèiké | shell (of a mollusk) | HSK 7-9 |
| 外殼 | wàiké | envelope; outer shell | |
| 彈殼 | dànké | ammunition case | |
| 空殼 | kōngké | empty shell | |
| 軀殼 | qūqiào | the body (as opposed to the soul) | |
| 地殼 | dìqiào | the Earth's crust | |
| 腦殼 | nǎoké | (coll.) head; skull; (fig.) brains (mental capacity) |
Questions about 殼
How many strokes are in 殼?
殼 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 殼 mean?
殼 (ké) means casing, husk, shell. A common word with it is 贝壳 (bèiké), meaning "shell (of a mollusk)".
How do you pronounce 殼?
殼 is pronounced ké, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 殼?
The radical of 殼 is 殳, which carries the idea of "tool". Dictionaries list 殼 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 殼?
殼 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 壳, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 殼 and 皮 for the outside of food?
殼 is a hard shell that you crack, like on eggs, nuts, or crabs. 皮 is a soft skin or peel, like on apples or bananas, as in 香蕉皮 (xiāngjiāo pí).
What does 空殼 mean when talking about companies?
空殼 (kōngké) means an empty shell. For businesses it describes a company that exists on paper but has no real operations, often called 空殼公司 (kōngké gōngsī), a shell company.