HanziGuru.窺 · kuī
窺
kuī[kui1]Tone 1

to peep, to pry into

HSK 7
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窥
Guru Deep Dive

English · to peep, to pry into

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Topology:Left-right
Strokes:12
Writing Balance Rule: The left component (穴) must span the upper-left, keeping its roof wide and stable, while the right component (见) rests compactly on the right without crowding the cave.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 窺 retains 穴 (cave) on the left and 見 (see) on the right. In the simplified form 窥, the right component 見 is simplified to 见.
1. Meaning

to peer through a small opening or peek covertly

to catch a glimpse ofto spy onto infer or catch sight of an underlying pattern
VerbFormal / LiteraryBound morpheme#vision#action#surveillance
Sample Usage
  • 窥探
    kuī tàn
    to pry, to spy on, to sneak a peek
  • 管窥之见
    guǎn kuī zhī jiàn
    a view through a bamboo tube (narrow perspective / limited outlook)
2. Sound
/[kʰu̯eɪ̯⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
窺
kuīkui1
++
¯(55)
=kuī
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
k
Type: Aspirated Velar
Sounds like: k sound as in 'key'
Aspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Strong gust of air from throat! Tissue held in front MUST fly forward.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Back of tongue raised against the soft palate, releasing a strong puff of air
Final Rhyme
ui
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: -uei / -way sound
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
T1 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is a high, flat pitch (55) comparable to maintaining a high musical note without rising or falling.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse the vowel glide with '-ui' sounding like '-uei' where the 'e' is sometimes swallowed in rapid speech; ensure you clearly articulate the 'uei' diphthong sound.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Keep your hand flat and steady high in the air, matching the high level pitch of Tone 1, similar to humming a single sustained high note.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 12 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left component (穴) must span the upper-left, keeping its roof wide and stable, while the right component (见) rests compactly on the right without crowding the cave.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 窺 retains 穴 (cave) on the left and 見 (see) on the right. In the simplified form 窥, the right component 見 is simplified to 见.

4. Components

Radical 穴 · Cave Radical (cave, hole, pit)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 穴 (Indicates a cave, hole, or enclosed space)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 见 (original sound: jiàn / kuī phonetic connection via ancient rhyme categories)

A person peeking through a hole or cave roof to see what is happening outside.

  • 穴 Cave or hole (semantic clue for peering through an opening)
  • 见 To see or look (semantic clue for vision)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from 穴 (cave/hole) and 見 (to see), graphically representing the act of looking through an opening or a hole in a wall.

Semantic Evolution: Originally meant looking out from inside a cave or peeping through a crack; extended over time to mean any form of covert spying, prying, or catching a glimpse of a larger whole through a limited viewpoint.

  • Frequently used in classical Chinese idioms depicting narrow-mindedness, such as viewing the sky through a bamboo tube.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
khuy
High level tone in Mandarin corresponds to level or transverse tones in Sino-Xenic borrowings.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ケイ (kei) / Kun: うかが.う (ukaga.u)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
규
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine standing inside a dark CAVE (穴) and using your EYES (见) to PEEP out at the world through a tiny crack.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
規
Phonetic Core (声旁)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
规(guī)
窥 has 穴 (cave) on the left (peeping from a cave); 规 has 夫 (man) on the left (rules made by men).
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
他通過門縫向裡面[___]。
Clue: kuī
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the left component 穴 (cave) with 宀 (roof), or miswriting the right side as something else because of phonetic confusion with guī.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 窥, what two components form it and what is its primary meaning?
Production: How do you write the character for 'to peep' (kuī) using the cave radical and the 'to see' component?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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