块
yuan (money); piece; chunk
HSK level
- Pinyin
- kuài
- Part of speech
- measure word
- Level
- HSK 1
- Strokes
- 7
- Register
- spoken
- In episodes
- 1
Stroke order for 块
块 is written with 7 strokes. The animation replays automatically.
What does 块 mean?
块 (kuài) has two HSK 1 jobs.
First and most common, it's the spoken measure word for Chinese currency: 十块钱 'ten yuan,' 一百块 'one hundred yuan.' The written/formal equivalent is 元 (yuán), but in everyday speech — at markets, taxis, restaurants — 块 is what you'll hear and say. Second, 块 is a general measure word for 'pieces / chunks' of solid things: 一块蛋糕 (a piece of cake), 一块肉 (a chunk of meat), 一块石头 (a stone). One thing English speakers often miss: when stating a price, the noun 钱 (qián, 'money') is usually dropped in fast speech — 多少钱?
五十块. 'How much? Fifty bucks.' The number-plus-块 alone is enough.
Note: 块 is the everyday spoken form for 元 (yuán). On price tags, contracts, and bank statements you'll see 元; in conversation almost everyone says 块. Using 元 in casual speech sounds overly formal.
Memory hook: 块 has the 土 ('earth/clod') radical — a chunk of earth is a 'piece,' and a piece of money is one 块.
Hear 块 in real episodes
块 appears in 1 Fluentide podcast episode at natural native speed. Each sentence plays at the easiest difficulty it exists in — switch it to hear the same moment at your level, with full pinyin and English throughout.
这个人卖了两百多万块钱的假蜂蜜。
This person sold more than two million yuan of fake honey.
Fake Honey, Fake Camel Milk, Diet Sweets and 'Ghost Takeout': China's Top Court Publishes Typical Online Food-Safety Crimes
Example sentences
这个多少钱？五块。
Zhège duōshǎo qián? Wǔ kuài.
How much is this? Five yuan.
spoken
我有一百块。
Wǒ yǒu yī bǎi kuài.
I have a hundred yuan.
spoken
请给我一块蛋糕。
Qǐng gěi wǒ yī kuài dàngāo.
Please give me a piece of cake.
polite
这本书十二块。
Zhè běn shū shí'èr kuài.
This book is twelve yuan.
spoken
Common phrases with 块
Synonyms
元 is the written/formal counterpart of 块. Banks, receipts, and news report prices in 元; conversation uses 块. 一百元 (written) = 一百块 (spoken). Same value, different register.
片 is for FLAT, THIN pieces — slices: 一片面包 (a slice of bread), 一片肉 (a thin slice of meat). 块 is for CHUNKIER, three-dimensional pieces. 一块肉 is a thicker hunk; 一片肉 is a slice.
Don't confuse 块 with
快 (same pinyin, same tone) means 'fast / quick.' 块 has the 土 radical (earth); 快 has the 忄 radical (heart). 一块钱 'one yuan' vs 很快 'very fast.' Identical sound, totally different meaning.
毛 is one tenth of a 块 — like a dime to a dollar. 一块二毛 = 1.20 yuan. Beginners sometimes confuse the units; remember the order: 块 > 毛 > 分.
Frequently asked questions
Related words from the same episodes
Acquire it by listening
Meet 块 again — in real Chinese, at your level.
You just saw 块 in 1 episode. Fluentide keeps feeding you news episodes at your level, so this word — and thousands like it — resurface in real sentences until they stick. Full pinyin and translation every time. Free to start.