How to Write 稽 (jī/qǐ) — Meaning “To examine; to investigate”

Q: What is a good memory trick to remember 稽?

Think of a farmer examining grain (禾) while a person (尤) says (曰) something funny (滑稽) — that scene helps you remember 稽. You can also link it to the common word 滑稽 (funny) to recall the character's pronunciation and shape.

Q: Are there any tricky parts when writing 稽?

Pay attention to the right side: it has 尤 (like in 'especially') on top and 曰 (say) below, making the whole right part balanced. A common mistake is making the right side too tall or misaligning the vertical stroke of 尤 with the center of 曰.

Q: How is 稽 different from similar characters like 稔 and 稗?

稽 means 'to examine', while 稔 means 'ripe harvest' and 稗 means 'weed'. Visually, 稽 has a unique right side with 尤 and 曰, whereas 稔 has 忍 on the right and 稗 has 卑 — so the right components are completely different.

Q: In modern Chinese, where do we see 稽 used?

The most common word is 滑稽 (huá jī), meaning 'funny' or 'comical', used in everyday speech. Another is 稽首 (qǐ shǒu), an ancient kowtow gesture of deep respect, though it is now mostly historical.

Q: What common words use 稽?

Common words containing 稽 include: 滑稽 (huá jī) — funny; comical; 稽首 (qǐ shǒu) — Kowtow; a deep bow of respect in ancient China..

jī/qǐ HSK Level 7 15 strokes Radical: 禾

稽 (jī/qǐ) means "To examine; to investigate" in Chinese. It has 15 strokes with the radical 禾, and is HSK Level 7.

Rated 4.2/5 in difficulty (advanced).

Harder than 77% of HSK Level 7 characters.

Appears in 2+ common words including 滑稽 (huá jī), 稽首 (qǐ shǒu).

Due to its 15 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 稽 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Practice Writing 稽 (jī/qǐ)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 稽 with real-time feedback.

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How to Write 稽

The character 稽 (jī/qǐ) is written with 15 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 禾 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does jī/qǐ (稽) Mean in Chinese?

稽 means To examine; to investigate.

This is a polyphonic character with readings: jī, qǐ.

As an HSK Level 7 character, 稽 is an intermediate-level character.

Character Data

Character	稽
Pinyin	jī / qǐ (ji/qi)
Meaning	To examine; to investigate
Strokes	15
Radical	禾
HSK Level	7
Difficulty	4.2/5

Origin of 稽

稽 combines the radical 禾 (grain) with the components 尤 (fault) and 曰 (to say), visually suggesting an inspector speaking about faults in the grain. This reflects the character's meaning of examining or investigating carefully, originally in the context of checking crops for defects.

💡 Memory Tip: Picture a grain inspector (禾) pointing out a fault (尤) with a stern 'I say (曰) — examine this!' as he investigates.

Common Words with 稽

滑稽 huá jī

funny; comical

稽首 qǐ shǒu

Kowtow; a deep bow of respect in ancient China.

Example Sentences

那个马戏团小丑的表演非常滑稽逗乐。

nà ge mǎ xì tuán xiǎo chǒu de biǎo yǎn fēi cháng huá jī dòu lè

The circus clown's performance was very funny and amusing.

在古代，稽首是臣子向君王行的大礼。

zài gǔ dài qǐ shǒu shì chén zi xiàng jūn wáng xíng de dà lǐ

In ancient times, 'jishou' was a formal kowtow performed by officials to the monarch.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Radical
稽 (current)	jī / qǐ	15	禾
稔	rěn	13	禾
稗	bài	13	禾
稙	zhī	13	禾

Practice Writing 稽 (jī/qǐ)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 稽 with real-time feedback.

✨ Animated stroke order · Handwriting recognition · HSK-graded practice · Free to use

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Frequently Asked Questions about 稽

What are the main components of 稽 and how do they relate to its meaning?

The left side is 禾 (grain radical), which connects to agriculture and crops. The right side is a phonetic component that gives the sound jī, while the overall meaning 'to examine' likely comes from inspecting grain quality.

What is a good memory trick to remember 稽?

Are there any tricky parts when writing 稽?

How is 稽 different from similar characters like 稔 and 稗?

In modern Chinese, where do we see 稽 used?

What common words use 稽?

How to Write 稽 (jī/qǐ) — Meaning “To examine; to investigate”

Practice Writing 稽 (jī/qǐ)

How to Write 稽

What Does jī/qǐ (稽) Mean in Chinese?

Character Data

Origin of 稽

Common Words with 稽

Example Sentences

Similar Characters Comparison

Practice Writing 稽 (jī/qǐ)

Frequently Asked Questions about 稽

More HSK Level 7 Characters

Characters with Radical 禾

Other 15-Stroke Characters