貴 meaning and stroke order
Expensive, costly; valuable, precious
How to write 貴, 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 貴
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- expensive
- (bound form) highly valued; precious
- (bound form) noble; of high rank
- (prefix) (honorific) your
How 貴 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Money.
貝 gives the meaning.
Radical: 貝 (sea shell), shared by 62 characters on this site.
How to remember 貴
The bottom part 貝 is a shell, which once served as money, so it points to value. Picture a stack of 中 and 一 sitting on top of a pile of shell money: something that sits on so much money must be 貴 (guì), expensive and precious.
On its own, 貴 (guì) most often means expensive, and it is the everyday word for complaining about prices. It also appears in words for value and rank, like 珍貴 (zhēnguì) precious and 貴族 (guìzú) nobility, and as a polite prefix meaning your, as in 貴公司 (guì gōngsī) your company. Example: 這個太貴了。(Zhège tài guì le.) This is too expensive.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 貴 (guì) with 遺 (yí, to leave behind) or 潰 (kuì, to collapse), which contain 貴 plus an extra part. Also keep the fourth tone: saying guǐ sounds like 鬼 (guǐ, ghost).
Common words with 貴
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 寶貴 | bǎoguì | valuable; precious | HSK 4 |
| 珍貴 | zhēnguì | precious | HSK 5 |
| 貴族 | guìzú | lord; nobility | HSK 7-9 |
| 高貴 | gāoguì | grandeur; noble | HSK 7-9 |
| 昂貴 | ángguì | expensive; costly | HSK 7-9 |
| 貴賓 | guìbīn | honored guest; distinguished guest | HSK 7-9 |
| 尊貴 | zūnguì | respected; respectable | HSK 7-9 |
| 貴重 | guìzhòng | precious | HSK 7-9 |
| 可貴 | kěguì | to be treasured; praiseworthy | HSK 7-9 |
| 名貴 | míngguì | famous and valuable; rare | HSK 7-9 |
| 有何貴幹 | yǒuhéguìgàn | What (noble errand) brings you here?; May I help you? | |
| 貴姓 | guìxìng | what is your surname?; (May I ask) your surname? | |
| 貴人 | guìrén | nobility; person of high rank | |
| 富貴 | fùguì | riches and honor |
Characters that contain 貴
Learning 貴 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 貴
How many strokes are in 貴?
貴 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 貴 mean?
貴 (guì) means expensive, costly; valuable, precious. A common word with it is 宝贵 (bǎoguì), meaning "valuable; precious".
How do you pronounce 貴?
貴 is pronounced guì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 貴?
The radical of 貴 is 貝, which carries the idea of "sea shell". Dictionaries list 貴 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 貴?
貴 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 贵, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the opposite of 貴 when talking about prices?
The usual opposite is 便宜 (piányi), cheap. You will often hear 太貴了 and 便宜一點 together when people bargain.
How is 貴 used in polite questions like 您貴姓?
您貴姓 (nín guì xìng) is a polite way to ask someone's surname, literally your honorable surname. You answer with 我姓王 (wǒ xìng Wáng), not with 貴, because the honorific is only used for the other person.