How to Write 侪 (chái) — Meaning “Peers / Companions”

Imagine a group of friends drinking chai tea together – the sound "chái" is like "chai". They are your peers and companions sharing a cup, so the character reminds you of equals enjoying time together.

Write the left radical 亻 first (2 strokes: left-falling slash and vertical), then the right part 齐 (6 strokes: dot, horizontal, left-falling, right-falling, vertical, vertical). A common mistake is making the right part too wide; keep the two vertical strokes at the bottom close together and balanced with the left side.

仰 (yǎng) means "to look up" or "admire" and has a different right part (卬). 仲 (zhòng) means "middle" or "second brother" with the right part 中. 侪 specifically means peers or companions, and its right part 齐 emphasizes equality, not direction or order.

侪 is a literary or formal character, rarely used in everyday speech. It appears in classical expressions like 吾侪 (wú chái, meaning "we" in a humble literary tone) and 侪辈 (chái bèi, meaning peers of the same generation). In modern Chinese, 同辈 or 同伴 are more common substitutes.

Common words containing 侪 include: 侪辈 (chái bèi) — Peers / People of the same generation; 吾侪 (wú chái) — we (literary); 侪等 (chái děng) — Peers / People of the same class.