鬼 meaning and stroke order
Disembodied spirit; ghost; devil; (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc; sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭|诡[gui3])
How to write 鬼, 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.
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- 9
Meaning of 鬼
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- disembodied spirit; ghost; devil
- (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc
- sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭|诡[gui3])
- one of the 28 constellations of ancient Chinese astronomy
How 鬼 is built
Pictographic character. A ghost with a scary face.
How to remember 鬼
鬼 (guǐ) is a pictograph of a ghost with a scary face. Picture the top part as a big, frightening head, and the curling stroke 乚 with 厶 at the bottom as a wispy body and tail floating away.
鬼 means ghost or devil, but it is very common as a suffix for someone with a bad habit, like 酒鬼 (jiǔguǐ) drunkard. It also appears in casual phrases such as 见鬼 (jiànguǐ) for something strange. Example: 他是个酒鬼。(Tā shì gè jiǔguǐ.) He is a drunkard.
Common mistake: Learners often forget the small 厶 stroke inside the lower right, or write the top without the short dot-like stroke above 田. Also be careful with words like 黑鬼 (hēiguǐ), which is a racist slur and should never be used.
Common words with 鬼
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 酒鬼 | jiǔguǐ | drunkard | HSK 5 |
| 魔鬼 | móguǐ | devil | HSK 7-9 |
| 搞鬼 | gǎoguǐ | to make mischief; to play tricks | HSK 7-9 |
| 见鬼 | jiànguǐ | absurd; strange | |
| 吸血鬼 | xīxuèguǐ | leech; bloodsucking vermin | |
| 小鬼 | xiǎoguǐ | little demon (term of endearment for a child); mischievous child | |
| 鬼魂 | guǐhún | ghost | |
| 黑鬼 | hēiguǐ | black devil (derogatory term for black or African person) | |
| 胆小鬼 | dǎnxiǎoguǐ | coward | |
| 鬼混 | guǐhùn | to hang around; to fool around | |
| 有鬼 | yǒuguǐ | (fig.) to smell fishy | |
| 鬼话 | guǐhuà | lie; false words | |
| 讨厌鬼 | tǎoyànguǐ | disgusting person; slob | |
| 醉鬼 | zuìguǐ | drunkard |
鬼 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 鬼
Learning 鬼 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 鬼
How many strokes are in 鬼?
鬼 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 鬼 mean?
鬼 (guǐ) means disembodied spirit; ghost; devil; (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etc; sly; crafty; resourceful (variant of 詭|诡[gui3]). A common word with it is 酒鬼 (jiǔguǐ), meaning "drunkard".
How do you pronounce 鬼?
鬼 is pronounced guǐ, in the third tone (dipping).
Is 鬼 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 鬼 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Is 小鬼 (xiǎoguǐ) an insult?
Usually not. Adults often call a child 小鬼 affectionately, like saying "little rascal" in English. Tone and context matter, though.
What does 搞鬼 (gǎoguǐ) mean in daily speech?
It means to secretly play tricks or cause trouble. For example, 谁在搞鬼？(Shéi zài gǎoguǐ?) means "Who is up to something?"