灾 (zāi) is a Chinese character meaning “disaster”. It is written from 宀 (roof) and 火 (fire), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “disaster”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
宀 + 火
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿱宀火，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画 3+4=7 核验）
Memory aid
Fire (火) burning under a roof (宀). Both parts are really in this character. A fire outdoors is warmth; a fire inside the house is a disaster — that is 灾.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 火灾huǒ zāifire (a destructive fire); blaze灾 = zāi
- 灾害zāi hàidisaster; calamity灾 = zāi
- 灾殃zāi yāngdisaster; calamity灾 = zāi
- 灾难zāi nàndisaster; catastrophe灾 = zāi
Go deeper
All readings
disaster
disaster; calamity; catastrophe; misfortune caused by fire, flood or other forces
由水、火、风等自然力量或意外造成的祸害；泛指严重的祸事。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 火灾huǒ zāifire (a destructive fire); blaze灾 = zāi
- 灾害zāi hàidisaster; calamity灾 = zāi
- 灾殃zāi yāngdisaster; calamity灾 = zāi
- 灾难zāi nàndisaster; catastrophe灾 = zāi
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 灾 mean?
灾 (zāi) means disaster; calamity; catastrophe; misfortune caused by fire, flood or other forces.
How do you pronounce 灾?
It is pronounced zāi.
What parts is 灾 made of?
宀 (roof) and 火 (fire), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿱宀火，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画 3+4=7 核验）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 灾 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 灾?
火. 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 灾?
Common ones are 火灾 and 灾害. The reading of 灾 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.