What does 块 mean in Chinese?

块 (kuài) means "[measure word for pieces]" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 1.

How do you write 块?

块 is written with 7 strokes, starting from the 土 (earth) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 块?

The radical of 块 is 土 (earth, Kangxi radical #32). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 地, 场, 在, 城.

How many strokes does 块 have?

The Chinese character 块 has 7 strokes.

What HSK level is 块?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 块 is a character to recognise at HSK 1.

块 (kuài): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

块

kuài

[measure word for pieces]

HSK 1 character 7 strokes Radical: 土 (earth)

Quick Answer

块 (kuài) means "[measure word for pieces]" with 7 strokes, radical 土 (earth), HSK 1 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 块 →Animated stroke-order for 块 →

Pronunciation

kuài

Meaning

Primary: [measure word for pieces]

Etymology

Oracle-bone origin

块 has no oracle bone or bronze attestation as a distinct graph; it is a later phono-semantic compound. The traditional form 塊 combines 土 (earth, semantic) with 鬼 (ghost, phonetic in Old Chinese). The simplified 块 keeps 土 but replaces 鬼 with 夬 as a simpler phonetic element.

Form evolution

塊 appears in seal script with 土 on the left and 鬼 on the right, retained through clerical and standard script without major change. The simplification to 块 was formalised in the 1956 PRC reform, borrowing 夬 which had long been used as a phonetic shortcut in handwriting. Taiwan and Hong Kong still write 塊.

How the meaning evolved

The original meaning was a lump or clod of earth. It generalised to any discrete chunk: a piece, a block, a cake of something solid. In modern Mandarin it also serves as the colloquial measure word for the yuan (一块钱 = one yuan), a use that developed from the older sense of a silver ingot or coin-piece.

Cultural note

The monetary use of 块 is informal; the formal equivalent is 元. Learners often treat 块 and 元 as interchangeable in speech but should prefer 元 in writing, on receipts, and in official contexts. The idiom 一块石头落了地 (a stone has dropped to the ground) means a worry has been resolved.