How to Write 圾 (jī) — Meaning “Garbage / Rubbish”

Imagine a pile of dirt (土) that has 'reached' (及) the point of being garbage. The right side 及 looks like a hand reaching down, as if to throw something away. This visual of dirt being reached by a hand can help you recall 圾 means garbage.

The left radical 土 must be written with a horizontal line, a vertical line, and a bottom horizontal that is slightly longer than the top stroke. Avoid making the right side 及 too wide — keep it narrow so the character looks balanced. A common mistake is to mix up the order of strokes in 及: write the left-falling stroke first, then the horizontal fold hook, and finally the right-falling stroke.

圾 (jī) is always part of the word 垃圾 meaning garbage, while 圣 (shèng) means holy or sacred, with a different right side (又). 圤 (pǔ or pú) is a rare character meaning a kind of pottery vessel, and it uses a different right side (卜). Visually, 圾 has the radical 土 and a more complex right side, whereas 圣 has only four strokes and 圤 has a simpler right component.

圾 appears almost exclusively in the compound word 垃圾 (lājī), meaning trash or rubbish. You will see it on public trash bins (垃圾桶) and garbage bags (垃圾袋). In everyday conversation, 垃圾 is also used as slang to describe something of very poor quality, like a "garbage movie" (垃圾电影).

Common words containing 圾 include: 垃圾 (lā jī) — garbage; trash; rubbish; 垃圾桶 (lā jī tǒng) — trash can; garbage bin; 垃圾袋 (lā jī dài) — trash bag; garbage bag.