盔 (kuī) is a Chinese character meaning “helmet”. It is written from 灰 (ash; gray) and 皿 (dish; vessel), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “helmet”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
灰 + 皿
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: IDS ⿱灰皿（形声：从皿，灰声；现代字形拆分对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：灰 6 画 + 皿 5 画 = 11 画）
Memory aid
Turn a dish (皿) upside down, and it's gray (灰) from smoke and battle — a metal bowl you wear on your head: a helmet.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 头盔tóu kuīhelmet盔 = kuī
- 盔甲kuī jiǎarmor; helmet and armor盔 = kuī
Go deeper
All readings
helmet
helmet; a hard protective hat; a helmet-shaped cap
保护头部的帽子，多用金属或其他硬材料制成，如头盔、钢盔。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 头盔tóu kuīhelmet盔 = kuī
- 盔甲kuī jiǎarmor; helmet and armor盔 = kuī
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 盔 mean?
盔 (kuī) means helmet; a hard protective hat; a helmet-shaped cap.
How do you pronounce 盔?
It is pronounced kuī.
What parts is 盔 made of?
灰 (ash; gray) and 皿 (dish; vessel), one above the other. The recorded source is: IDS ⿱灰皿（形声：从皿，灰声；现代字形拆分对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：灰 6 画 + 皿 5 画 = 11 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 盔 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 盔?
皿. 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 盔?
Common ones are 头盔 and 盔甲. The reading of 盔 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.