馗 (kuí): cheekbone, crossroads, high

馗 (kuí) is a Chinese character meaning “cheekbone.” Outside the HSK 3.0 syllabus (CLEC 2022), it is composed of 九 (phonetic) and 首 (semantic). It ranks #9999 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).

Etymologically derived, 馗 head. Its radical form 首 (head) appears in many related characters such as 首 (shǒu, head).

Spoken pronunciation

Radical: 首 head11 strokesFrequency #9999九 phonetic 首 semantic

Definitions

cheekbone
crossroads
high

Etymology & Origin

馗

pictophonetichead

Decomposition: ⿺九首 (layout: surround-from-lower-left)

Components:九phonetic 首semantic

Stroke Order

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

Words & Compounds

Common Compounds

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
钟馗proper-noun	zhōng kuí	Zhong Kui (mythological figure, supposed to drive away evil spirits)

Total compounds

As first character

100

As last character

As middle character

馗 appears in 1 compound words: 0 as the first character, 100 as the last, and 0 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.

Example Sentences

中国新闻网·文化Aug 2026

灵璧钟馗画传承人：从镇宅到新生，让非遗走进青年世界

líng 璧 zhōng kuí huà chuán chéng rén : cóng zhèn zhái dào xīn shēng , ràng fēi yí zǒu jìn qīng nián shì jiè

Heir to the Lingbi Zhong Kui Painting Tradition: From Protecting Homes to a New Beginning—Bringing Intangible Cultural Heritage into the World of Young People

爱范儿Aug 2026

《黑神话：钟馗》15 分钟实机来了，这次终于看懂在玩什么

hēi shén huà : zhōng kuí 1 5 fēn zhōng shí jī lái le , zhè cì zhōng yú kàn dǒng zài wán shén me

A 15-minute gameplay trailer for *Black Myth: Zhong Kui* is here—this time, we finally get to see what the game is all about.

IT之家Jul 2026

至于《黑神话：钟馗》中具体会包含多少个 Boss，团队只表示暂无法透露。

zhì yú hēi shén huà : zhōng kuí zhōng jù tǐ huì bāo hán duō shǎo gè B o s s , tuán duì zhī biǎo shì zàn wú fǎ tòu lù .

As for exactly how many bosses will be featured in *Black Myth: Zhong Kui*, the team has only stated that they cannot disclose that information at this time.

中国新闻网·生活Jul 2026

美年大健康天津公司医疗总监、主任医师倪东馗介绍了正确的空腹方式。

měi nián dà jiàn kāng tiān jīn gōng sī yī liáo zǒng jiān , zhǔ rèn yī shī ní dōng kuí jiè shào le zhèng què de kōng fù fāng shì .

Ni Dongkui, Medical Director and Chief Physician at Meinian Health’s Tianjin branch, explained the proper way to fast.

Character Family

首 Radical Family — Characters sharing the head radical

首shǒu

Related Characters

首shǒu

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 馗 (kuí) mean in Chinese?

馗 (kuí) primarily means "cheekbone." It is not part of the HSK 3.0 syllabus. It ranks #9999 in character frequency.

What's the difference between 馗 and 低?

馗 (kuí) and 低 (dī) are often confused. antonym. The key distinguishing feature: 馗 (high) vs 低 (low).

How many strokes does 馗 have?

馗 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 馗?

The radical associated with 馗 is 首 (head). This radical appears in many characters related to head.

What are the components of 馗?

馗 is composed of: 九 (phonetic), 首 (semantic). Its IDS decomposition is ⿺九首 with a surround-from-lower-left layout. Understanding the components helps with both memorization and recognizing related characters.

What are common words containing 馗?

Common words with 馗 include: 钟馗 (zhōng kuí, "Zhong Kui (mythological figure, supposed to drive away evil spirits)"). There are over 1 compound words containing this character.

Is 馗 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?

Yes, 馗 is written the same way in both simplified and traditional Chinese.

Practice writing 馗 with real-time feedback

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

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