How to Write 笄 (jī) — Meaning “Hairpin”

Imagine a bamboo hairpin (竹) piercing through a girl's hair, opening (开) it into a new shape for her coming-of-age ceremony. The combination visually shows bamboo above and "open" below, reminding you that 笄 means hairpin and is linked to the age of fifteen for girls.

First write the bamboo radical (竹) as two identical halves, each with a left-falling stroke and a hook. Then add 开 below: start with the horizontal stroke, then the two vertical strokes, and finally the left-falling and right-falling strokes. A common mistake is making the bamboo radical too wide or misaligning the lower component.

笄 (hairpin) has 竹 on top and 开 below, while 竺 (zhú, bamboo) has 竹 on top and 二 (two) below — a much simpler bottom part. 竽 (yú, ancient wind instrument) also has 竹 on top but has 于 (yú) below, not 开. Focus on the lower component to tell them apart.

笄 appears mainly in historical or literary contexts, such as 笄礼 (jī lǐ), the traditional coming-of-age ceremony for girls at age 15. You might also see it in words like 发笄 (fā jī, ancient hairpins) or 笄年 (jī nián, a girl's 15th year). Today it is not common in daily conversation but remains important for understanding classical Chinese culture.

Common words containing 笄 include: 笄礼 (jī lǐ) — Coming-of-age ceremony for girls; 发笄 (fā jī) — ancient hairpins; 笄年 (jī nián) — Age of fifteen (for girls).