会 (huì) is a Chinese character meaning “can”. It is written from 人 (person) and 云 (cloud), one above the other, and takes 6 strokes. It has a second reading, kuài, which turns up in 会计 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “can; meeting”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
人 + 云
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，已用 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（简化字 会，非字源分析）
Memory aid
A person (人) standing over a cloud (云): people come together and their talk rises like clouds — that is a meeting (会), and it is also how you learn what you can do.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 开会kāi huìto hold or attend a meeting会 = huì
- 学会xué huìto learn how to do something; to master会 = huì
- 会议huì yìmeeting; conference会 = huì
- 协会xié huìassociation; society会 = huì
- 社会shè huìsociety会 = huì
- 约会yuē huìappointment; date会 = huì
- 宴会yàn huìbanquet; dinner party会 = huì
- 庙会miào huìtemple fair会 = huì
- 误会wù huìto misunderstand; misunderstanding会 = huì
Go deeper
All readings
can; meeting
can; be able to; know how to; to meet; a meeting or association
懂得、能够做某事；也指聚在一起商议的活动或团体。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 开会kāi huìto hold or attend a meeting会 = huì
- 学会xué huìto learn how to do something; to master会 = huì
- 会议huì yìmeeting; conference会 = huì
- 协会xié huìassociation; society会 = huì
- 社会shè huìsociety会 = huì
- 约会yuē huìappointment; date会 = huì
- 宴会yàn huìbanquet; dinner party会 = huì
- 庙会miào huìtemple fair会 = huì
- 误会wù huìto misunderstand; misunderstanding会 = huì
accounting
accounting; bookkeeping — used in 会计 (accountant, accounting)
会计：管理和核算财务的工作，也指做这项工作的人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 会计kuài jìaccountant; accounting会 = kuài
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 会 mean?
会 (huì) means can; be able to; know how to; to meet; a meeting or association.
How do you pronounce 会?
Its main reading is huì. It also has a second reading, kuài, which only shows up in certain words such as 会计 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 会 sometimes pronounced kuài?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 会计 it is read kuài.
What parts is 会 made of?
人 (person) and 云 (cloud), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，已用 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（简化字 会，非字源分析）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 会 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 会?
人. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 会?
Common ones are 开会 and 学会. The reading of 会 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.