翡 meaning and stroke order
Kingfisher; jade, emerald
How to write 翡, stroke by stroke
14 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 翡
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- used in 翡翠[fei3 cui4]
How 翡 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Plume.
羽 gives the meaning and 非 hints at the sound.
Radical: 羽 (feather), shared by 26 characters on this site.
How to remember 翡
翡 puts 非 (fēi) on top for the sound and 羽 (yǔ, feather) below for the meaning. Picture a bird's bright feathers, the kingfisher, whose name sounds like fēi.
翡 almost never appears alone. It lives in the word 翡翠 (fěicuì), which means jadeite or the kingfisher bird, and today it is most often used for the green jade. Example: 她戴着一只翡翠手镯。(Tā dàizhe yì zhī fěicuì shǒuzhuó.) She is wearing a jade bracelet.
Common mistake: Learners often read 翡 with the first tone like 非 (fēi), but it is third tone, fěi. Also do not mix up the order of 翡翠 with 翠 first, and do not swap the parts so that 羽 sits on top.
Common words with 翡
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 翡翠 | fěicuì | jadeite; tree kingfisher |
Questions about 翡
How many strokes are in 翡?
翡 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 翡 mean?
翡 (fěi) means kingfisher; jade, emerald. A common word with it is 翡翠 (fěicuì), meaning "jadeite; tree kingfisher".
How do you pronounce 翡?
翡 is pronounced fěi, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 翡?
The radical of 翡 is 羽, which carries the idea of "feather". Dictionaries list 翡 under this radical.
Is 翡翠 the same as 玉 (yù)?
Not exactly. 玉 is a broad word for jade and similar fine stones, while 翡翠 refers specifically to jadeite, the bright green kind that is highly valued.
Why does a word for jade contain the feather part 羽?
The word 翡翠 first named the kingfisher, a bird with vivid feathers, which explains 羽. The stone was later named after the bird's brilliant green color.