財 meaning and stroke order
Riches, wealth, valuables
How to write 財, 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.
- 1
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- 10
Meaning of 財
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- money
- wealth
- riches
- property
- valuables
How 財 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Money.
貝 gives the meaning and 才 hints at the sound.
Radical: 貝 (sea shell), shared by 62 characters on this site.
How to remember 財
On the left is 貝 (bèi), a shell, which was once used as money. On the right is 才 (cái), which gives the sound, so 財 is the shell-money word pronounced cái: wealth.
財 rarely stands alone in modern speech and usually appears in compounds like 財產 (cáichǎn, property), 財富 (cáifù, wealth) and 理財 (lǐcái, managing finances). It is common in New Year greetings, for example 恭喜發財 (gōngxǐ fācái), "Wishing you prosperity."
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 財 with 材 (cái, material), which has the same sound but uses 木 (wood) instead of 貝. Remember that money words take 貝 while timber and materials take 木, as in 木材 (mùcái, timber).
Common words with 財
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 財產 | cáichǎn | property; assets | HSK 4 |
| 財富 | cáifù | wealth; riches | HSK 4 |
| 理財 | lǐcái | to manage wealth; to manage finances; money management | HSK 6 |
| 發財 | fācái | to get rich | HSK 7-9 |
| 財務 | cáiwù | financial affairs; finance | HSK 7-9 |
| 財政 | cáizhèng | public finance; government finance | HSK 7-9 |
| 錢財 | qiáncái | wealth; money | HSK 7-9 |
| 財物 | cáiwù | property; belongings | HSK 7-9 |
| 財力 | cáilì | financial resources | HSK 7-9 |
| 財經 | cáijīng | finance and economics | HSK 7-9 |
| 財寶 | cáibǎo | money and valuables | |
| 財團 | cáituán | financial group | |
| 恭喜發財 | gōngxǐfācái | May you have a prosperous New Year! (New Year's greeting) | |
| 財政部長 | cáizhèngbùzhǎng | minister of finance |
Questions about 財
How many strokes are in 財?
財 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 財 mean?
財 (cái) means riches, wealth, valuables. A common word with it is 财产 (cáichǎn), meaning "property; assets".
How do you pronounce 財?
財 is pronounced cái, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 財?
The radical of 財 is 貝, which carries the idea of "sea shell". Dictionaries list 財 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 財?
財 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 财, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 財 and 錢?
錢 (qián) is everyday money, like cash you spend. 財 is broader and more formal, meaning wealth, property or valuables. You say 我沒錢 (wǒ méi qián) for "I have no money," not 我沒財.
Why is 財 written 财 in many places?
财 is the simplified form used in mainland China, where 貝 becomes 贝. Both forms are the same character, so 發財 and 发财 mean the same thing.