諱 meaning and stroke order
Taboo; to shun, to conceal, to avoid mentioning
How to write 諱, stroke by stroke
16 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 諱
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to avoid mentioning
- taboo word
- name of deceased emperor or superior
How 諱 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Speech.
言 gives the meaning and 韋 hints at the sound.
Radical: 言 (words), shared by 155 characters on this site.
How to remember 諱
諱 combines 言 (speech) with 韋 (wéi), which gives the sound. Picture words being held back and kept unspoken, which is exactly what a taboo is.
諱 appears mostly in set words and formal phrases about avoiding a topic or a name, such as 忌諱 (jìhuì) and 直言不諱 (zhí yán bù huì, to speak frankly). Example: 他說話直言不諱。(Tā shuōhuà zhí yán bù huì.) He speaks bluntly without holding back.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 諱 with 偉 (wěi, great) or 違 (wéi, to violate), because all three share 韋. Look at the left side: only the speech radical 言 gives the meaning of not saying something, and the tone is fourth tone huì.
Common words with 諱
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 忌諱 | jìhuì | taboo; to avoid as taboo | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 諱
How many strokes are in 諱?
諱 is written with 16 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 諱 mean?
諱 (huì) means taboo; to shun, to conceal, to avoid mentioning. A common word with it is 忌讳 (jìhuì), meaning "taboo; to avoid as taboo".
How do you pronounce 諱?
諱 is pronounced huì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 諱?
The radical of 諱 is 言, which carries the idea of "words". Dictionaries list 諱 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 諱?
諱 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 讳, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 諱 mean in the context of names?
In traditional China, the personal name of a deceased emperor, ancestor, or superior was 諱, a name you should not say or write directly. People would use another character or leave out a stroke to avoid it.
How is 諱 written in simplified Chinese?
In simplified Chinese it is written 讳, with the simplified speech radical 讠 and 韦. So 忌諱 appears as 忌讳 in mainland texts.