闺 (guī): boudoir; lady's chamber

Meanings

1 boudoir; lady's chamber
2 women (figurative)

Characters

闺

guī

boudoir; women's quarters

Examples

HSK 7-9

她是我最好的闺蜜。

Tā shì wǒ zuìhǎo de guīmì.

She is my best girlfriend.

HSK 7-9

古代女子深居闺中。

Gǔdài nǚzǐ shēnjū guī zhōng.

In ancient times, women lived secluded in their chambers.

Tips

usage

闺 is most commonly encountered in 闺蜜 (guīmì, best female friend / bestie), which is hugely popular in modern Chinese. The classical meaning of a private women's chamber is mostly seen in period dramas and literature.

Components

radical

门 mén

door; gate

Outer door radical - simplified pictograph of a two-leaf gateway, the indexing radical. Wraps over 圭 like a doorframe and supplies the spatial sense of 闺: a small inner doorway leading to private quarters. Same gate frame appears in 间, 闲, 闭, 闷.

phonetic

圭 guī

jade tablet

Inside 圭 supplies the sound guī exactly. 圭 itself is a pointed jade tablet held by nobles at court; here it serves mainly as a phonetic, though the elegant association lingers - the inner chamber 闺 was the refined private space where unmarried daughters of the household lived.