How to Write 玑 (jī) — Meaning “irregular pearl”

Imagine a king (王) holding a small, irregular pearl that looks like the shape of the letter '几'. The king values this unique pearl because it is not perfectly round. This visual link between the king and the curved shape helps you recall the character for 'irregular pearl'.

Write the left radical 王 first as three horizontal strokes and a lift (提), then write the right part 几 with a left-falling stroke (撇) followed by a horizontal hook stroke (横折弯钩). A common mistake is making the right component too wide; keep it narrow so the character stays balanced. Also, remember the last stroke of 王 becomes a lift when it is a radical.

玑 differs from 王 (king) because 王 is a simple character without any right-side component, while 玑 adds 几 on the right. Compared to 玎 (jade sound), 玎 has the radical 王 on the left and 丁 (dīng) on the right, whereas 玑 uses 几. So look at the right side: 几 vs. 丁 to distinguish them visually.

玑 is not a common everyday character, but it appears in literary or classical words like 珠玑 (pearls and gems) and 璇玑 (an ancient astronomical instrument). In modern Chinese, it is primarily used in formal or elegant contexts, such as in idioms or brand names, and it carries a refined, cultural feel. For example, 字字珠玑 means 'every word is a pearl', praising excellent writing.

Common words containing 玑 include: 珠玑 (zhū jī) — Pearls and gems; 璇玑 (xuán jī) — Ancient astronomical instrument; 玑子 (jī zi) — small pearl; bead.