愧 (kuì) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

愧

kuì[kui4]Tone 4

ashamed

HSK 7

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · ashamed

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:13

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (忄) should be narrower and compact, leaving ample space for the right component (鬼) to expand without crowding.

1. Meaning

ashamed, feeling guilty or remorseful

feel inferior or modestapologetic

AdjectiveNeutralBound morpheme#emotions#mental states#morality

Sample Usage

我感到很愧疚。
Wǒ gǎndào hěn kuìjiù.
I feel very guilty/ashamed.
问心无愧
wènxīnwúkuì
to have a clear conscience (feel no shame in one's heart)

2. Sound

/[kʰu̯eɪ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51

愧

kuìkui4

`(51)

=kuì

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

kui

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "i" per the side-by-side rule (in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Initial Consonant

Type: Aspirated Velar

Sounds like: k sound as in 'kite'

Aspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Strong gust of air from throat! Tissue held in front MUST fly forward.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Back of the tongue raised against the soft palate, releasing a strong puff of air.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -i vowel group

Sounds like: -uay 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 plunges straight down, exactly like shouting a sharp 'No!' or expressing sudden disappointment.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the initial 'k-' with 'g-' or confusing the tone with tone 1 or 2.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, forceful downward hand chop or nodding your head down in regret.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 13 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (忄) should be narrower and compact, leaving ample space for the right component (鬼) to expand without crowding.

4. Components

Radical 忄 · Heart radical (vertical) (Heart, emotions, psychological state)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 忄 (Indicates emotions and feelings (shame, guilt))

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 鬼 (original sound: guǐ)

A troubled heart (忄) haunted by a ghost (鬼) of past mistakes, making you feel thoroughly ashamed.

忄 heart/emotions
鬼 ghost (phonetic and conceptual hint)

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

8· Phonetic Root: 鬼 (guǐ)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the heart radical (忄) indicating psychological feelings and 鬼 (guǐ) providing the phonetic element and a nuance of being haunted by conscience.

Semantic Evolution: Originally signified heart-wrenching regret or bashfulness, expanding to generalized feelings of guilt, shame, and unworthiness in modern Mandarin.

The character pairs closely with concepts of moral duty in traditional Chinese philosophy.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: カイ / Kun: Hazu.karu

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

괴

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Your heart (忄) feels haunted by a guilty ghost (鬼) whenever you think of your past mistakes, leaving you completely ASHAMED (kuì).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

鬼

guǐdisembodied spirit; ghost; devil; (suffix) person with a certain vice or addiction etcPhonetic Core (声旁)

槐

huáiChinese scholar tree+ 木 (tree)

瑰

guīextraordinary or semiprecious stone+ 王 (jade)

傀

guīgrand; strange; exotic+ 亻 (person)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

快(kuài)

快 means 'fast/happy' and uses the water radical (氵), whereas 愧 means 'ashamed' and uses the heart radical (忄).

块(kuài)

块 means 'piece' and uses the earth radical (土).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

做错了事，他感到很[___]。

Clue: kuì

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 愧 (kuì, ashamed) with 快 (kuài, fast/happy) because of similar sounds and tones.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What emotion does the heart radical combined with 'ghost' (鬼) represent?

Production: How do you write the character for 'ashamed' (kuì) using the heart radical and ghost component?

愧kuìashamed

Speed:

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