穴 (xué) is a Chinese character meaning “cave”. It is written from 宀 (roof) and 八 (eight), one above the other, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “cave”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
宀 + 八
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画核验：宀 3 画 + 八 2 画 = 5 画）
Memory aid
A roof (宀) with the ground splitting open (八) underneath it: a hollow dug out below cover — a cave.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 洞穴dòng xuécave穴 = xué
- 穴位xué wèiacupuncture point穴 = xué
Go deeper
All readings
cave
cave; hollow; den; acupuncture point
洞；地下的坑洞或动物的窝。也指人体上针灸的部位。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 洞穴dòng xuécave穴 = xué
- 穴位xué wèiacupuncture point穴 = xué
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 穴 mean?
穴 (xué) means cave; hollow; den; acupuncture point.
How do you pronounce 穴?
It is pronounced xué.
What parts is 穴 made of?
宀 (roof) and 八 (eight), one above the other. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画核验：宀 3 画 + 八 2 画 = 5 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 穴 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 穴?
穴. 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 穴?
Common ones are 洞穴 and 穴位. The reading of 穴 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.