灰 (huī): ash, gray
灰 (huī) is a Chinese character meaning “ash, gray.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 火 (structural). It ranks #1303 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 灰 the remains of a fire 火; 火 also provides the pronunciation. Its radical form 火 (fire) appears in many related characters such as 火 (huǒ, fire), 灯 (dēng, lamp, light), 烟 (yān, smoke).
Definitions
- ash, gray
Etymology & Origin
ideographicThe remains of a fire 火; 火 also provides the pronunciation
Stroke Order
Practice writing 灰 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 灰
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 骨灰 | gǔ huī | bone ash |
| 灰姑娘 | huī gū niang | Cinderella |
| 灰烬 | huī jìn | ashes |
| 烟灰缸 | yān huī gāng | ashtray |
| 灰暗 | huī àn | dull gray |
| 烟灰 | yān huī | cigarette ash |
| 骨灰盒 | gǔ huī hé | box for bone ashes |
| 石灰 | shí huī | lime (calcium oxide) |
| 大灰狼 | dà huī láng | big bad wolf |
| 炮灰 | pào huī | cannon fodder |
| 石灰石 | shí huī shí | limestone |
| 灰白 | huī bái | ash-colored |
| 灰溜溜 | huī liū liū | dull gray |
| 煤灰 | méi huī | soot |
| 火山灰 | huǒ shān huī | volcanic ash |
灰 appears in 100 compound words: 59 as the first character, 21 as the last, and 20 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 灰 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (8)
Example Sentences
壁炉里的灰烬需要定期清理，否则会影响燃烧效率。
Bìlú lǐ de huījìn xūyào dìngqī qīnglǐ, fǒuzé huì yǐngxiǎng ránshāo xiàolǜ.
The ashes in the fireplace need to be cleaned regularly, otherwise they will affect combustion efficiency.
场边人语/勇士抢攻 灰熊落空
chǎng biān rén yǔ yǒng shì qiǎng gōng huī xióng luò kōng
Courtside talk/Warriors rush The Grizzlies failed
...otify与Liquid Death出骨灰罐蓝牙音箱
. . . o t i f y yǔ L i q u i d D e a t h chū gǔ huī guàn lán yá yīn xiāng
... otify and Liquid Death released an urn Bluetooth speaker
菲马荣火山喷发 火山灰柱高达1000米
菲 mǎ róng huǒ shān pēn fā huǒ shān huī zhù gāo dá 1 0 0 0 mǐ
Mount Fimaron erupted ash columns up to 1,000 meters high
全台最大旗艦店!牛排館掃地畚箕舉高清灰
quán tái zuì dà qí 艦 diàn ! niú pái 館 掃 dì 畚 箕 舉 gāo qīng huī
The largest flagship store in Taiwan! Steakhouse sweeping the floor and lifting high-definition ash
祖母的骨灰是在骨灰瓮在寺院。
Zǔmǔ de gǔhuī shì zài gǔhuī wèng zài sìyuàn.
Grandmother's ashes are in an urn at the temple.
他对室内灰尘过敏。
Tā duì shìnèi huīchén guòmǐn.
He is allergic to house dust.
亲吻一个抽烟的人就像在舔烟灰缸。
Qīnwěn yī gè chōuyān de rén jiù xiàng zài tiǎn yānhuīgāng.
Kissing a smoker is like licking an ashtray.
汤姆被一只灰熊揍了。
Tāngmǔ bèi yī zhī huīxióng zòu le.
Tom was attacked by a grizzly bear.
桌子被灰尘覆盖。
Zhuōzi bèi huīchén fùgài.
The table was covered with dust.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 灰 (huī) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 灰 have?
What is the radical of 灰?
What are the components of 灰?
What are common words containing 灰?
What characters sound the same as 灰 (huī)?
Is 灰 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 灰 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.