客 (kè) is a Chinese character meaning “guest”. It is written from 宀 (roof) and 各 (each; every), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “guest”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
宀 + 各
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：客，寄也。从宀，各声。（笔画数据核验：宀 3 + 各 6 = 9）
Memory aid
Under one roof (宀), people from each (各) different place gather — they are the guests.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 客人kè rénguest; visitor客 = kè
- 客户kè hùclient; customer客 = kè
- 客厅kè tīngliving room客 = kè
- 访客fǎng kèvisitor; caller客 = kè
- 乘客chéng kèpassenger客 = kè
- 客栈kè zhàninn; guesthouse客 = kè
- 顾客gù kècustomer; client客 = kè
Go deeper
All readings
guest
guest; visitor; customer; traveler
来访的人；也指顾客、旅客等。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 客人kè rénguest; visitor客 = kè
- 客户kè hùclient; customer客 = kè
- 客厅kè tīngliving room客 = kè
- 访客fǎng kèvisitor; caller客 = kè
- 乘客chéng kèpassenger客 = kè
- 客栈kè zhàninn; guesthouse客 = kè
- 顾客gù kècustomer; client客 = kè
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 客 mean?
客 (kè) means guest; visitor; customer; traveler.
How do you pronounce 客?
It is pronounced kè.
What parts is 客 made of?
宀 (roof) and 各 (each; every), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：客，寄也。从宀，各声。（笔画数据核验：宀 3 + 各 6 = 9）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 客 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 客?
宀. 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 客?
Common ones are 客人, 客户, 客厅. The reading of 客 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.