How to Write 击 (jī) — Meaning “to hit”

Imagine a hand (the top three strokes: two horizontal lines and a vertical line) coming down to hit a box (the bottom part 凵). You can also think of clicking a mouse — the vertical stroke is like a pointer, and the box is the button you hit.

Write the first two horizontal strokes (left then right), then a vertical stroke through them, then a horizontal fold (left to right turning down) for the bottom left, and finally a vertical stroke on the bottom right. A common mistake is making the middle vertical line too short or not crossing both top horizontals clearly.

击 has a vertical line and two horizontals above a 凵-shaped bottom, while 凶 has a cross (乂) inside the 凵 and is used for "fierce" or "dangerous." 凸 is completely different — it looks like a protruding hill and means "convex," with no internal strokes.

击 appears in common words like 点击 (to click), 击掌 (to clap hands), and 目击 (to witness). Culturally, 击掌 is a gesture of celebration or agreement, often used among friends. In digital contexts, 点击 is essential for describing mouse clicks on screens.

Common words containing 击 include: 点击 (diǎn jī) — to click; 击掌 (jī zhǎng) — to clap hands; 目击 (mù jī) — to witness; eyewitness.