硅 (guī): silicon (chemistry)

硅 (guī) is a Chinese character meaning “silicon (chemistry).” Outside the HSK 3.0 syllabus (CLEC 2022), it is composed of 石 (semantic) and 圭 (phonetic). It ranks #3067 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).

Etymologically derived, 硅 mineral. Its radical form 石 (stone) appears in many related characters such as 石 (shí, stone), 破 (pò, break), 研 (yán, to research, to grind).

Spoken pronunciation

Definitions

  1. silicon (chemistry)

Etymology & Origin

硅

pictophoneticmineral

Decomposition: ⿰石圭 (layout: left-right)

Stroke Order

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

Practice writing 硅 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.

Words & Compounds

Common Compounds

WordPinyinMeaning
硅胶nounguī jiāosilica gel
硅谷proper-nounguī gǔSilicon Valley
硅石nounguī shísiliceous rock
硅酸盐nounguī suān yánsilicate
二氧化硅nounèr yǎng huà guīsilicon dioxide (SiO2)
硅酮guī tóngsilicone
硅藻nounguī zǎodiatom (single-celled phytoplankton)
硅酸nounguī suānsilicic acid
碳化硅nountàn huà guīsilicon carbide
硅橡胶guī xiàng jiāosilicone rubber
可控硅kě kòng guī(electronics) silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR)
硅化木guī huà mùpetrified wood (geology)
四氟化硅sì fú huà guīsilicon tetrafluoride SiF4
硅基guī jīsilicon-based
硅片guī piànsilicon wafer
29
Total compounds
79
As first character
17
As last character
3
As middle character

硅 appears in 29 compound words: 79 as the first character, 17 as the last, and 3 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.

Strongest Collocations

Characters that most frequently co-occur with 硅 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.

碳tàn
0.61013 co-occurrences
晶jīng
0.51211 co-occurrences
逾yú
0.40411 co-occurrences
跌diē
0.39811 co-occurrences
超chāo
0.35917 co-occurrences

Example Sentences

IT之家Sep 2026

指环内圈包着一圈柔感硅胶,触感软糯,支架可以开合,也能 360° 旋转。

zhǐ huán nèi quān bāo zhe yī quān róu gǎn guī jiāo , chù gǎn ruǎn nuò , zhī jià kě yǐ kāi hé , yě néng 3 6 0 xuán zhuǎn .

The inner rim of the ring is lined with a layer of soft silicone that feels soft and supple to the touch. The mount can be opened and closed and rotates 360°.

少数派Sep 2026

电脑如果不通电、不运行操作系统、不加载软件,就更接近一堆无意义的硅片与塑料。

diàn nǎo rú guǒ bù tōng diàn , bù yùn xíng cāo zuò xì tǒng , bù jiā zài ruǎn jiàn , jiù gèng jiē jìn yī duī wú yì yì de guī piàn yǔ sù liào .

If a computer isn't plugged in, isn't running an operating system, and isn't loading software, it's little more than a pile of meaningless silicon chips and plastic.

爱范儿Sep 2026

此前,36 氪报道称,理想正在把马赫芯片、碳化硅模组和增程器等自研技术推向外部客户。

cǐ qián , 3 6 氪 bào dào chēng , lǐ xiǎng zhèng zài bǎ mǎ hè xīn piàn , tàn huà guī mó zǔ hé zēng chéng qì děng zì yán jì shù tuī xiàng wài bù kè hù .

Previously, 36Kr reported that Li Auto is offering its in-house technologies—including the Mach chip, silicon carbide modules, and range extenders—to external customers.

爱范儿Sep 2026

拿在手里,高品质软触硅胶带来柔滑的触感,波纹还能增加摩擦力,让握持更稳。

ná zài shǒu lǐ , gāo pǐn zhì ruǎn chù guī jiāo dài lái róu huá de chù gǎn , bō wén hái néng zēng jiā mó cā lì , ràng wò chí gèng wěn .

When held in your hand, the high-quality, soft-touch silicone provides a smooth feel, while the ridges increase friction for a more secure grip.

IT之家Sep 2026

该电池拥有自研球形硅碳专利、长效电池算法与智能充电策略,能够实现 5 年健康耐用。

gāi diàn chí yōng yǒu zì yán qiú xíng guī tàn zhuān lì , cháng xiào diàn chí suàn fǎ yǔ zhì néng chōng diàn cè lüè , néng gòu shí xiàn 5 nián jiàn kāng nài yòng .

This battery features a proprietary spherical silicon-carbon technology, long-life battery algorithms, and intelligent charging strategies, ensuring 5 years of reliable performance.

Character Family

Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 石 (mineral) component

Homophones — Characters pronounced guī

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 硅 (guī) mean in Chinese?
硅 (guī) primarily means "silicon (chemistry)." It is not part of the HSK 3.0 syllabus. It ranks #3067 in character frequency.
What's the difference between 硅 and 街?
硅 (guī) and 街 (jiē) are often confused. confusable. The key distinguishing feature: 石 vs 行 (same 圭 component).
How many strokes does 硅 have?
硅 is written with 11 strokes. The correct stroke order matters for recognition and handwriting speed — practice with the animated guide above to build proper technique.
What is the radical of 硅?
The radical associated with 硅 is 石 (stone). This radical appears in many characters related to stone.
What are the components of 硅?
硅 is composed of: 石 (semantic), 圭 (phonetic). Its IDS decomposition is ⿰石圭 with a left-right layout. Understanding the components helps with both memorization and recognizing related characters.
What are common words containing 硅?
Common words with 硅 include: 硅胶 (guī jiāo, "silica gel"); 硅谷 (guī gǔ, "Silicon Valley"); 硅石 (guī shí, "siliceous rock"); 硅酸盐 (guī suān yán, "silicate"); 二氧化硅 (èr yǎng huà guī, "silicon dioxide (SiO2)"). There are over 29 compound words containing this character.
What characters sound the same as 硅 (guī)?
Several characters share the pronunciation guī: 闺 (small arched door). Context and tones help distinguish between them in speech and writing.
Is 硅 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Yes, 硅 is written the same way in both simplified and traditional Chinese.

Practice writing 硅 with real-time feedback

Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.

Character data sourced from Unihan (Unicode Consortium), SUBTLEX-CH frequency corpus (Cai & Brysbaert, 2010), and Make Me a Hanzi (stroke data). Collocation strength measured via NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information). Verified by the HanziFeed linguistics team.

HSK classification follows the HSK 3.0 Standard (Center for Language Education and Cooperation, CLEC, 2022 revision). Idiom data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Data last verified: March 2026.