脆 (cuì) is a Chinese character meaning “brittle”. It is written from 月 (moon; month) and 危 (danger; perilous), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “brittle; crisp”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
月 + 危
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·肉部（脃，小耎易断也。从肉）：左侧月为肉旁；现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 核验：10 画 = 月 4 画 + 危 6 画；危 的构形作用无可追溯依据，标为 unknown
Memory aid
Meat (月) that is close to danger (危) — one bite and it snaps. Crisp, brittle things break easily.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 脆弱cuì ruòfragile; weak脆 = cuì
- 干脆gān cuìstraightforward; simply; just脆 = cuì
Go deeper
All readings
brittle; crisp
brittle; fragile; crisp (of food); clear and sharp (of a voice or sound); straightforward
容易折断或破碎；食物爽口易嚼；声音清亮；说话做事爽快。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 脆弱cuì ruòfragile; weak脆 = cuì
- 干脆gān cuìstraightforward; simply; just脆 = cuì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 脆 mean?
脆 (cuì) means brittle; fragile; crisp (of food); clear and sharp (of a voice or sound); straightforward.
How do you pronounce 脆?
It is pronounced cuì.
What parts is 脆 made of?
月 (moon; month) and 危 (danger; perilous), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·肉部（脃，小耎易断也。从肉）：左侧月为肉旁；现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 核验：10 画 = 月 4 画 + 危 6 画；危 的构形作用无可追溯依据，标为 unknown. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 脆 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 脆?
月. 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 脆?
Common ones are 脆弱 and 干脆. The reading of 脆 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.