How to Write 晷 (guǐ) — Meaning “Sundial / Time”

Imagine the sun (日) shining down on a person (人) standing next a line (the strokes in 咎) — that person is watching the shadow move to tell time. The bottom part 咎 even sounds like "gui", which can remind you of "guide" as the sundial guides time. So remember: sun + guide = 晷.

Write the top 日 wide and flat first, then center the bottom 咎 underneath. Be careful with 咎: start with the 人 (two strokes: left stroke then right), then the 各 part with a short horizontal and a vertical line through the mouth. A common mistake is making the bottom too big — keep it compact so the whole character stays balanced.

㬎 (xiǎn) has a bottom made of 絲 (silk threads) and means "bright" or "manifest" — it is very rare. 晁 (cháo) has the bottom 兆 (兆 means omen or trillion) and is used as a surname or to mean "morning". 晷's bottom is 咎, which looks like 人 on top of 各, and it specifically relates to a sundial.

晷 is mostly found in classical or historical contexts, not in daily conversation. You will see it in the word 日晷 (rì guǐ, sundial) when describing ancient timekeeping tools, or in literary expressions like 晷刻 (guǐ kè, a moment). It is a cultural character that connects to China's long history of astronomy and time measurement.

Common words containing 晷 include: 日晷 (rì guǐ) — Sundial; 晷针 (guǐ zhēn) — Gnomon (sundial needle); 晷刻 (guǐ kè) — Time measured by a sundial / Moment.