虽 (suī) is a Chinese character meaning “although”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 虫 (insect; bug; worm), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “although”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
口 + 虫
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿱口虫，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验：3 + 6 = 9 笔）
Memory aid
A mouth (口) balanced on top of a bug (虫): the bug is tiny and the mouth keeps complaining — although it is small, it keeps crawling forward. 虽 = "although".
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 虽然suī ránalthough; even though虽 = suīHSK 2
- 虽说suī shuōalthough (spoken style)虽 = suī
Go deeper
All readings
although
although; even though; even if
表示让步，相当于「尽管」，后面常用「但是」「可是」呼应。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 虽然suī ránalthough; even though虽 = suīHSK 2
- 虽说suī shuōalthough (spoken style)虽 = suī
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 虽 mean?
虽 (suī) means although; even though; even if.
How do you pronounce 虽?
It is pronounced suī.
What parts is 虽 made of?
口 (mouth) and 虫 (insect; bug; worm), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿱口虫，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验：3 + 6 = 9 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 虽 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 虽?
口. 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 虽?
Common ones are 虽然 and 虽说. The reading of 虽 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.