How to Write 机 (jī) — Meaning “machine; opportunity; aircraft”

Imagine a wooden (木) table (几) that has been turned into a machine, like a wooden loom or a mechanical device. The picture of a tree stump with a small table on top can help you recall that 机 means 'machine' or 'opportunity'.

Write the left part 木 first: a horizontal stroke, then a vertical stroke, followed by a left-falling and a right-falling stroke that are balanced. Then add the right part 几 with a left-falling stroke and a horizontal curved hook; a common mistake is making the hook too sharp or the 木's strokes uneven.

机 is a compound character with 木 on the left and 几 on the right, while 木 is just the single tree radical (meaning 'wood' or 'tree'). 未 looks like a tree with an extra horizontal line on top and means 'not yet'—it has no connection to machines or opportunity.

机 appears in common words like 手机 (mobile phone), 机会 (opportunity), and 机场 (airport). In Chinese culture, 机 also implies a crucial turning point or clever timing, which is why 机会 literally means 'machine meeting'—a moment when things come together.

Common words containing 机 include: 手机 (shǒu jī) — mobile phone; 机会 (jī huì) — opportunity; chance; 机场 (jī chǎng) — airport.