凯 (kǎi) is a Chinese character meaning “triumphant”. It is written from 岂 (how could...?) and 几 (small table; how many), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “triumphant”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
岂 + 几
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（依据 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺核验：岂 6 画 + 几 2 画 = 凯 8 画；笔画 0–5 与「岂」逐笔对应，笔画 6–7 为「几」）
Memory aid
The army comes home. 岂 — could they really have won? 几, a little table, is set out for them. Both parts are really in this character, and together they mean: triumph.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 凯旋kǎi xuánto return in triumph凯 = kǎi
- 凯歌kǎi gēsong of triumph凯 = kǎi
- 袁世凯yuán shì kǎiYuan Shikai (1859–1916), general and first formal president of the Republic of China凯 = kǎi
Go deeper
All readings
triumphant
triumphant; victorious; music played when a victorious army returns
军队得胜归来时演奏的乐曲；引申指胜利。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 凯旋kǎi xuánto return in triumph凯 = kǎi
- 凯歌kǎi gēsong of triumph凯 = kǎi
- 袁世凯yuán shì kǎiYuan Shikai (1859–1916), general and first formal president of the Republic of China凯 = kǎi
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 凯 mean?
凯 (kǎi) means triumphant; victorious; music played when a victorious army returns.
How do you pronounce 凯?
It is pronounced kǎi.
What parts is 凯 made of?
岂 (how could...?) and 几 (small table; how many), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（依据 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺核验：岂 6 画 + 几 2 画 = 凯 8 画；笔画 0–5 与「岂」逐笔对应，笔画 6–7 为「几」）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 凯 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 凯?
几. 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 凯?
Common ones are 凯旋 and 凯歌. The reading of 凯 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.