堆 (duī) is a Chinese character meaning “pile”. It is written from 土 (earth; soil) and 隹 (short-tailed bird), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “pile; heap”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
土 + 隹
Left–right structure
Structure from: 汉典: 形声。从土，隹声 (现代字形 ⿰土隹，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画 0–2 / 3–10 核验)
Memory aid
Earth (土) beside a short-tailed bird (隹): the bird stands on top of a mound of earth someone has piled up — a heap.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 堆积duī jīto pile up; to accumulate堆 = duī
- 堆砌duī qìto pile up (stones, bricks); to pile on ornate words堆 = duī
Go deeper
All readings
pile; heap
pile; heap; stack; to pile up; (measure word) a pile of
堆积在一起的东西；把东西聚集、垒起来。也作量词，用于成堆的东西或成群的人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 堆积duī jīto pile up; to accumulate堆 = duī
- 堆砌duī qìto pile up (stones, bricks); to pile on ornate words堆 = duī
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 堆 mean?
堆 (duī) means pile; heap; stack; to pile up; (measure word) a pile of.
How do you pronounce 堆?
It is pronounced duī.
What parts is 堆 made of?
土 (earth; soil) and 隹 (short-tailed bird), side by side. The recorded source is: 汉典: 形声。从土，隹声 (现代字形 ⿰土隹，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画 0–2 / 3–10 核验). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 堆 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 堆?
土. 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 堆?
Common ones are 堆积 and 堆砌. The reading of 堆 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.