龟 meaning and stroke order
Tortoise; turtle; (coll.) cuckold
How to write 龟, stroke by stroke
7 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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- 7
Meaning of 龟
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- tortoise; turtle
- (coll.) cuckold
- variant of 皸|皲[jun1]
- used in 龜茲|龟兹[Qiu1 ci2]
How 龟 is built
Pictographic character. A turtle; compare 龜.
How to remember 龟
龟 (guī) is a picture of a turtle. The top part ⺈ looks like the turtle's head poking out, and the bottom 电 looks like a shell with a grid pattern and a little tail curling off to the side.
In everyday speech 龟 usually appears in words like 乌龟 (wūguī) and 海龟 (hǎiguī) rather than alone. Turtles stand for long life, but calling a person 乌龟 or 龟儿子 (guī'érzi) is a serious insult. Example: 乌龟爬得很慢。(Wūguī pá de hěn màn.) The tortoise crawls very slowly.
Common mistake: Learners often write the bottom as a plain 田 and forget the final hooked stroke that sweeps out to the right like in 电 (diàn). Also be careful using 乌龟 for people, since it can mean a man whose wife is unfaithful.
Common words with 龟
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
龟 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 龟
How many strokes are in 龟?
龟 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 龟 mean?
龟 (guī) means tortoise; turtle; (coll.) cuckold. A common word with it is 乌龟 (wūguī), meaning "tortoise; cuckold".
How do you pronounce 龟?
龟 is pronounced guī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the traditional form of 龟?
The traditional form of 龟 is 龜. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 龟 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 龟 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 龟 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 乌龟 and 海龟?
乌龟 (wūguī) is the general word for a tortoise or freshwater turtle, the kind kept as a pet. 海龟 (hǎiguī) means sea turtle. Online, 海龟 is also a pun on 海归 (hǎiguī), people who studied abroad and came back to China.
Does 龟 have other pronunciations?
Yes, but they are rare. It is read qiū in the ancient place name 龟兹 (Qiūcí), and jūn as a variant of 皲, meaning chapped skin. In almost all modern use, read it guī.