会 (huì) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

会

huì[hui4]Tone 4

can, meeting, to know how to

HSK 1

View Traditional FormSwitch to Traditional

會

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · can, meeting, to know how to

Cached lesson

1 / 1

Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:6

Writing Balance Rule: The top roof structure (人/umbrella shape) should be wide and umbrella-like, sheltering the bottom components compactly underneath.

Simplification Logic: The traditional character 會 features complex internal web lines inside 曰, which were streamlined into a simpler cloud-like shape in the simplified form 会.

1. Meaning

can, to be able to, to know how to

to meet, to get togethermeeting, gatheringunion, association (as a suffix)to be likely to

Modal Verb / Noun / VerbNeutral#ability#social#time

Sample Usage

我会说中文。
Wǒ huì shuō zhōngwén.
I can speak Chinese.
明天有一个会议。
Míngtiān yǒu yígè huìyì.
There is a meeting tomorrow.

2. Sound

/[xweɪ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51

会

huìhui4

`(51)

=huì

Initial Consonant

Type: Velar Fricative

Sounds like: h sound like in 'hat'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Gentle throat friction (like fogging glasses on a cold day).

Tongue & Mouth Position: Back of the tongue approaches the soft palate to create friction without stopping airflow.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -i vowel group

Sounds like: -ui rhymes with 'way'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'way'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Abbreviated Rhyme Rule: ui is short for uei

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply to the bottom, sounding like an emphatic command or sharp 'No!' in English.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the falling Tone 4 [huì] with Tone 3 [huǐ], which dips and rises.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp nod downward like a decisive chop, representing the sharp falling pitch of Tone 4.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 6 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top roof structure (人/umbrella shape) should be wide and umbrella-like, sheltering the bottom components compactly underneath.

Simplification Logic: The traditional character 會 features complex internal web lines inside 曰, which were streamlined into a simpler cloud-like shape in the simplified form 会.

4. Components

Radical 曰 · Say Radical (speak, say)

A person under a roof gathering together to speak and share knowledge, representing an assembly or meeting of minds.

人 people / roof canopy
云 cloud / speaking steam

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

12· Phonetic Root: 会 (huì)

5. History

Liushu category: Compound ideogram (会意)

Origin: Originally depicted vessels or an assembly of people coming together under a cover for an official meeting or ritual.

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from the physical act of gathering/meeting to the broader abstract meanings of social gatherings, associations, and eventually mental capability (knowing how to do something through collective learning).

In ancient times, 会 primarily referred to state assemblies and sacrificial gatherings.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

hội

Mandarin Tone 4 (falling) corresponds roughly to Vietnamese nặng or sắc depending on historical register, here mapping to sắc/nặng feel.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: カイ (kai) / エ (e) / Kun: あ.う (a.u)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

회

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

At a large MEETING (huì), people gather under a big ROOF to SHOW OFF their SKILLS ('I CAN do this!').

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

绘

huìto draw, to paintAdd the silk thread radical (纟) on the left for painting threads/colors.

悟

wùto realize, to comprehendUses the heart radical (忄) on the left for mental realization.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

云(yún)

云 means cloud and lacks the top roof/person component found in 会.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

我会[___]中文。

Clue: shuō

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the modal verb usage of 会 (ability learned through study, like speaking a language) with 能 (physical capacity or permission).

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see the character 会, what are its two primary functions in daily Chinese?

Production: How do you write the character that means 'can / meeting' with Pinyin huì?

会huìcan, meeting, to know how to

Speed:

Searching YouTube for native pronunciation videos...

0 / 0