崔 (cuī) is a Chinese character meaning “(of mountains) high and towering”. It is written from 山 (mountain) and 隹 (short-tailed bird), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “lofty”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
山 + 隹
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 崔，大高也。从山隹聲；现代字形拆分经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（山3画 + 隹8画 = 11画）
Memory aid
A short-tailed bird (隹) perched under a towering mountain (山) — the peak rises high above it: lofty.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 崔巍cuī wéi(of mountains or buildings) lofty; towering崔 = cuī
- 崔嵬cuī wéi(of mountains) high and rugged; towering崔 = cuī
Go deeper
All readings
lofty; a surname
(of mountains) high and towering; also a common Chinese surname (Cui)
形容山高大；也是常见姓氏。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 崔巍cuī wéi(of mountains or buildings) lofty; towering崔 = cuī
- 崔嵬cuī wéi(of mountains) high and rugged; towering崔 = cuī
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 崔 mean?
崔 (cuī) means (of mountains) high and towering; also a common Chinese surname (Cui).
How do you pronounce 崔?
It is pronounced cuī.
What parts is 崔 made of?
山 (mountain) and 隹 (short-tailed bird), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 崔，大高也。从山隹聲；现代字形拆分经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（山3画 + 隹8画 = 11画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 崔 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 崔?
山. 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 崔?
Common ones are 崔巍 and 崔嵬. The reading of 崔 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.