閥 meaning and stroke order
Clique, valve; a powerful and influential group
How to write 閥, 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 閥
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- powerful individual, family or group
- clique
- (loanword) valve
How 閥 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Gate.
門 gives the meaning and 伐 hints at the sound.
Radical: 門 (gate), shared by 42 characters on this site.
How to remember 閥
閥 is a gate 門 with 伐 (fá) inside, which gives the sound. Picture a powerful family behind its own gate, deciding who gets in, just like a valve decides what flows through.
閥 rarely stands alone. It appears in words for powerful groups, such as 軍閥 (jūnfá, warlord or military clique) and 財閥 (cáifá, conglomerate), and in the mechanical word 閥門 (fámén, valve). Example: 請關上這個閥門。(Qǐng guānshàng zhège fámén.) Please close this valve.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes mix up 閥 with 閱 (yuè, to read), since both are a gate 門 with something inside. 閥 has 伐 inside, while 閱 has 兌 inside. Also keep the second tone in fá, not fǎ as in 法.
Common words with 閥
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 閥門 | fámén | valve (mechanical) | HSK 7-9 |
| 軍閥 | jūnfá | military clique; junta | |
| 財閥 | cáifá | tycoon; magnate; powerful corporation; conglomerate |
Questions about 閥
How many strokes are in 閥?
閥 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 閥 mean?
閥 (fá) means clique, valve; a powerful and influential group. A common word with it is 阀门 (fámén), meaning "valve (mechanical)".
How do you pronounce 閥?
閥 is pronounced fá, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 閥?
The radical of 閥 is 門, which carries the idea of "gate". Dictionaries list 閥 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 閥?
閥 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 阀, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 閥 positive or negative when describing people?
It usually sounds negative or critical. 軍閥 suggests warlords who rule by force, and 財閥 often implies wealth with too much power. It is not a neutral word for a group of friends.
Can 閥 mean valve by itself?
In technical writing it can, as in 安全閥 (ānquánfá, safety valve). In everyday speech people normally say the full word 閥門 (fámén).