蓋 meaning and stroke order
To cover, to hide, to protect
How to write 蓋, 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 蓋
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- lid
- top
- cover
- canopy
- to cover
- to conceal
How 蓋 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Grass.
艹 gives the meaning and 盍 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 蓋
蓋 is grass 艹 on top of 盍 (hé), which gives the sound. Picture a thatch of grass laid over a container to cover it, like a lid.
蓋 works as a verb meaning to cover or conceal, and as a noun meaning lid, as in 盖子 (gàizi). It also appears in 膝盖 (xīgài), knee, the part that caps your leg. Example: 把锅盖上。(Bǎ guō gài shang.) Put the lid on the pot.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 盖 (gài) with 盒 (hé, box), since both have 皿 at the bottom and 盍 shares the hé sound. Remember that 蓋 is read gài, with a falling fourth tone, not hé.
Common words with 蓋
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 膝蓋 | xīgài | knee; (Internet slang) to kneel down (in admiration) | HSK 7-9 |
| 覆蓋 | fùgài | to cover | HSK 7-9 |
| 掩蓋 | yǎngài | to conceal; to hide behind | HSK 7-9 |
| 蓋子 | gàizi | cover; lid | HSK 7-9 |
| 涵蓋 | hángài | to cover; to comprise | HSK 7-9 |
| 遮蓋 | zhēgài | to hide; to cover (one's tracks) | HSK 7-9 |
| 蓋上 | gàishang | to cover | |
| 蓋兒 | gàir | cover; lid | |
| 蓋世 | gàishì | unrivalled; matchless | |
| 引擎蓋 | yǐnqínggài | (car) hood; bonnet | |
| 蓋章 | gàizhāng | to affix a seal; to stamp (a document) | |
| 頭蓋骨 | tóugàigǔ | skull; cranium | |
| 冰蓋 | bīnggài | ice sheet | |
| 蓋飯 | gàifàn | rice with meat and vegetables |
Questions about 蓋
How many strokes are in 蓋?
蓋 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 蓋 mean?
蓋 (gài) means to cover, to hide, to protect. A common word with it is 膝盖 (xīgài), meaning "knee; (Internet slang) to kneel down (in admiration)".
How do you pronounce 蓋?
蓋 is pronounced gài, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 蓋?
The radical of 蓋 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 蓋 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 蓋?
蓋 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 盖, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 盖 and 蓋?
蓋 is the traditional form and 盖 is the simplified form used in mainland China. They mean the same thing and are both pronounced gài.
Can 盖 mean to build a house?
Yes. In everyday speech 盖 is also used for constructing buildings, as in 盖房子 (gài fángzi), to build a house. This sense comes from putting a roof over something.