壳 (ké) is a Chinese character meaning “shell”. It is written from 士 (scholar) and 冖 (cover) and 几 (small table; how many), and takes 7 strokes. It has a second reading, qiào, which turns up in 地壳 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “shell”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
士 + 冖 + 几
Top–middle–bottom structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核对（现代字形拆分 ⿳士冖几：笔画 0–2 与「士」逐笔对应，3–4 与「冖」对应，5–6 与「几」对应）
Memory aid
A scholar (士) pulls a cover (冖) over a little table (几) and hides under it — that hard hiding place is a shell.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 贝壳bèi késeashell壳 = ké
- 蛋壳dàn kéeggshell壳 = ké
- 蚌壳bàng kémussel shell; clam shell壳 = ké
Go deeper
All readings
shell
shell; hard outer covering (of an egg, nut, or shellfish)
物体坚硬的外皮；口语常用读音。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 贝壳bèi késeashell壳 = ké
- 蛋壳dàn kéeggshell壳 = ké
- 蚌壳bàng kémussel shell; clam shell壳 = ké
shell (literary/technical)
shell; crust — the reading used in written and technical compounds
同「壳 ké」，用于书面语和科技词语。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 地壳dì qiàothe earth's crust壳 = qiào
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 壳 mean?
壳 (ké) means shell; hard outer covering (of an egg, nut, or shellfish).
How do you pronounce 壳?
Its main reading is ké. It also has a second reading, qiào, which only shows up in certain words such as 地壳 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 壳 sometimes pronounced qiào?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 地壳 it is read qiào.
What parts is 壳 made of?
士 (scholar) and 冖 (cover) and 几 (small table; how many). The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核对（现代字形拆分 ⿳士冖几：笔画 0–2 与「士」逐笔对应，3–4 与「冖」对应，5–6 与「几」对应）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 壳 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 壳?
士. 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 壳?
Common ones are 贝壳 and 蛋壳. The reading of 壳 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.