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懷 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
懷huáibosom, breast; to carry in one's bosomx, 19 strokes, radical 忄
huái(huai2) T2
  1. 1bosom, breast; to carry in one's bosom
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

懷huái(huai2)

The character 懷 (huái) primarily refers to the bosom or breast, symbolizing a sense of warmth and closeness. It is often used in expressions that convey emotional attachment or the act of carrying something significant in one's heart or mind, such as feelings or memories.

Strokes19Radical忄
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, the bosom symbolizes not only physical warmth but also emotional intimacy and connection. Expressions using 懷 often convey deep affection or sorrow, reflecting the Chinese value placed on close relationships and family bonds.

Memory Tip

Imagine a warm heart (the bosom) cradling a treasure. The character 懷 has the component '心' (heart) at its core, representing emotions, while the outer form suggests a protective embrace. Think of 'huái' as 'hiding' something precious in your bosom.

Meanings of 懷

huái(huai2)
1bosom, breast; to carry in one's bosom
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 懷

懷Simplified
19Strokes
忄Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 懷

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Podcast: 懷

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AI Study Notes for 懷

Usage Notes

Be mindful that 懷 is often used in literary or poetic contexts, making it less common in everyday conversation. Common collocations include 懷念 (huái niàn - to cherish memories) and 懷抱 (huái bào - to embrace). Learners should also pay attention to the tone, ensuring they pronounce it with the second tone.

HSK Study Tips

While 懷 is not part of the HSK vocabulary, it connects well with other emotional vocabulary at a similar level. Focus on understanding its use in literary contexts and related phrases which express feelings or nostalgia.

Common Mistakes

Learners may confuse 懷 with other characters that share similar sounds but different meanings, such as 怀 (huái, to embrace). For example, saying '我懷念他' (Wǒ huái niàn tā) is correct, but a mistake might be using the wrong character like '我怀念他.'

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 懷

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Etymology of 懷

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 忄 represents the meaning and 不 represents the sound. Simplified form of 懷.

Memory Hint

heart

Semantic (meaning)忄
+
Phonetic (sound)褱
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 懷

Phonosemantic compound. 忄 represents the meaning and 不 represents the sound. Simplified form of 懷.

  1. 1The meaning half忄 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half褱 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayheart
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 懷? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 懷?

Decomposition of 懷

IDS Structure⿰忄褱
懷Full Character
=
忄xin1
left
褱huai2
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 懷?

How to say bosom, breast; to carry in one's bosom in Chinese

“bosom, breast; to carry in one's bosom” in Chinese is懷huái

The character 懷 (huái) primarily refers to the bosom or breast, symbolizing a sense of warmth and closeness. It is often used in expressions that convey emotional attachment or the act of carrying something significant in one's heart or mind, such as feelings or memories.

When to use 懷

Be mindful that 懷 is often used in literary or poetic contexts, making it less common in everyday conversation. Common collocations include 懷念 (huái niàn - to cherish memories) and 懷抱 (huái bào - to embrace). Learners should also pay attention to the tone, ensuring they pronounce it with the second tone.

What learners get wrong

Learners may confuse 懷 with other characters that share similar sounds but different meanings, such as 怀 (huái, to embrace). For example, saying '我懷念他' (Wǒ huái niàn tā) is correct, but a mistake might be using the wrong character like '我怀念他.'

Write 懷

懷

Practice writing 懷 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 懷

Words Containing This Character20
怀疑huáiyíto doubt (sth)懷疑
怀孕huáiyùnpregnant懷孕
怀huáibosom懷
怀念huáiniànto think of懷念
关怀guānhuáicare關懷
怀里huáilǐembrace懷裡
怀抱huáibàoto hug懷抱
满怀mǎnhuái(to collide) full on滿懷
怀旧huáijiùnostalgia懷舊
情怀qínghuáifeelings情懷
胸怀xiōnghuáibreast胸懷
心怀to cherish心懷
释怀to release (tension)釋懷
缅怀miǎnhuáito commemorate緬懷
怀特White (name)懷特
耿耿于怀to take troubles to heart (idiom); brooding耿耿於懷
忘怀to forget忘懷
开怀without restraint開懷
怀表pocket watch懷錶
彭德怀Peng Dehuai (1898-1974), top communist general, subsequently politician and politburo member, disgraced after attacking Mao's failed policies in 1959, and died after extensive persecution during the Cultural Revolution彭德懷
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 怀疑 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 懷

You can use 懷 in phrases like '懷念過去' (huái niàn guò qù - to miss the past) or '懷抱希望' (huái bào xī wàng - to embrace hope).

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