龟 (guī) is a Chinese character meaning “turtle”. It is written from ⺈ (claw-top form; the flattened top of 刀 seen in 争, 色, 龟) and 电 (electricity; lightning), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “turtle”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
⺈ + 电
Top–bottom structure
- ⺈ claw-top form; the flattened top of 刀 seen in 争, 色, 龟 unknown
- 电 electricity; lightning · diàn unknown
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分：⺈ 在上，电 在下，2+5=7 画）
Memory aid
A clawed head (⺈) peeking out over a shell shaped exactly like 电. Both parts are really in this character — a turtle sticking its neck out. (Memory aid, not the historical origin.)
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 乌龟wū guītortoise; turtle龟 = guī
- 海龟hǎi guīsea turtle龟 = guī
Go deeper
All readings
turtle
turtle; tortoise
爬行动物，背上有硬壳，头、尾和四肢都能缩进壳里。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 乌龟wū guītortoise; turtle龟 = guī
- 海龟hǎi guīsea turtle龟 = guī
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 龟 mean?
龟 (guī) means turtle; tortoise.
How do you pronounce 龟?
It is pronounced guī.
What parts is 龟 made of?
⺈ (claw-top form; the flattened top of 刀 seen in 争, 色, 龟) and 电 (electricity; lightning), one above the other. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分：⺈ 在上，电 在下，2+5=7 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 龟 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 龟?
龟. 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 龟?
Common ones are 乌龟 and 海龟. The reading of 龟 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.