阀 meaning and stroke order
Clique, valve; a powerful and influential group
How to write 阀, stroke by stroke
9 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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- 9
Meaning of 阀
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- powerful individual, family or group
- clique
- (loanword) valve
How 阀 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Gate.
门 gives the meaning and 伐 hints at the sound.
Radical: 门 (gate), shared by 47 characters on this site.
How to remember 阀
阀 is a gate 门 with 伐 (fá) inside, which gives the sound. Picture a gate that controls who or what gets through: a valve controls flow, and a powerful clique controls access to power.
阀 rarely appears alone. It shows up in compounds, either for mechanical valves like 阀门 (fámén) or for powerful groups like 军阀 (jūnfá) and 财阀 (cáifá). Example: 请把阀门关上。(Qǐng bǎ fámén guān shang.) Please close the valve.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 阀 with 闪 (shǎn, flash) or 阁 (gé, pavilion) because they share the 门 frame, so check that the inside is 伐. Also keep the second tone fá, not the fourth-tone fà of 发 (hair).
Common words with 阀
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 阀门 | fámén | valve (mechanical) | HSK 7-9 |
| 军阀 | jūnfá | military clique; junta | |
| 财阀 | cáifá | tycoon; magnate; powerful corporation; conglomerate |
Questions about 阀
How many strokes are in 阀?
阀 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 阀 mean?
阀 (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 阀?
阀 is pronounced fá, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 阀?
The radical of 阀 is 门, which carries the idea of "gate". Dictionaries list 阀 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 阀?
The traditional form of 阀 is 閥. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 阀 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 阀 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 阀 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 阀 and 阀门?
阀 by itself means valve in technical terms like 安全阀 (ānquánfá, safety valve), but in everyday speech people say 阀门. For the group meaning, 阀 is always part of a word like 军阀 or 财阀.
Is 财阀 positive or negative?
财阀 usually carries a critical tone, suggesting a family or corporation with too much economic and political power. It is often used for large conglomerates, such as those in Korea or prewar Japan.