闺 (guī) is a Chinese character meaning “a small arched door”. It is written from 门 (door; gate) and 圭 (jade ceremonial tablet), one enclosing the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “inner chamber”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
门 + 圭
Enclosing structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（⿵门圭），已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：门 3 画 + 圭 6 画 = 9 画
Memory aid
Behind a gate (门) stands a jade tablet (圭) — something precious kept in the inner room. 圭 also hands you the sound: guī.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 闺女guī nǚdaughter; unmarried young woman闺 = guīspoken asguī nü
- 闺房guī fánga woman’s bedroom; boudoir闺 = guī
Go deeper
All readings
inner chamber
a small arched door; the inner chambers where women of the household lived; by extension, a young unmarried woman
上圆下方的小门；旧时指女子居住的内室，也借指未出嫁的年轻女子。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 闺女guī nǚdaughter; unmarried young woman闺 = guīspoken asguī nü
- 闺房guī fánga woman’s bedroom; boudoir闺 = guī
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 闺 mean?
闺 (guī) means a small arched door; the inner chambers where women of the household lived; by extension, a young unmarried woman.
How do you pronounce 闺?
It is pronounced guī.
What parts is 闺 made of?
门 (door; gate) and 圭 (jade ceremonial tablet), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（⿵门圭），已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：门 3 画 + 圭 6 画 = 9 画. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 闺 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 闺?
门. 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 闺?
Common ones are 闺女 and 闺房. The reading of 闺 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.