贵 (guì) is a Chinese character meaning “expensive”. It is written from 中 (middle; center) and 一 (one) and 贝 (shell), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “expensive; precious”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
中 + 一 + 贝
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代简化字形拆分，按 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画逐笔核验（0-3 中 / 4 一 / 5-8 贝，共 9 笔）
Memory aid
A cowrie shell (贝) — the oldest money — sits under one long line (一), and right in the middle (中) above it. What you put at the center and raise above the line is the expensive thing.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 昂贵áng guìexpensive; costly贵 = guì
- 珍贵zhēn guìprecious; valuable贵 = guì
- 贵庚guì gēngyour age (polite way of asking someone's age)贵 = guì
- 贵贱guì jiànexpensive or cheap; high or low in status贵 = guì
Go deeper
All readings
expensive; precious
expensive; costly; precious; valuable; (polite) your
价格高；值得珍重的。也用作敬辞，称与对方有关的事物。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 昂贵áng guìexpensive; costly贵 = guì
- 珍贵zhēn guìprecious; valuable贵 = guì
- 贵庚guì gēngyour age (polite way of asking someone's age)贵 = guì
- 贵贱guì jiànexpensive or cheap; high or low in status贵 = guì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 贵 mean?
贵 (guì) means expensive; costly; precious; valuable; (polite) your.
How do you pronounce 贵?
It is pronounced guì.
What parts is 贵 made of?
中 (middle; center) and 一 (one) and 贝 (shell), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代简化字形拆分，按 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画逐笔核验（0-3 中 / 4 一 / 5-8 贝，共 9 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 贵 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 贵?
贝. 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 贵?
Common ones are 昂贵 and 珍贵. The reading of 贵 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.