How to Write 肌 (jī) — Meaning “muscle”

Imagine that your muscles are made of "meat" (月) and you need to do "a few" (几) exercises to build them. Another trick: picture the left part as a curved muscle and the right part as a small weight bench for training.

Write the left radical 月 first as a narrow vertical shape with two horizontal strokes inside, not three. Then add the right part 几, which has a curved hook on its second stroke. A common mistake is making the radical too wide or confusing it with the moon character 月.

The radical 月 in 肌 is narrower and always used on the left side, while the standalone character 月 (moon) is wider and can appear alone. The character 有 (yǒu, to have) contains 月 but has an extra horizontal stroke on top, and it is a common verb, not related to body parts.

肌 appears in medical and fitness terms like 肌肉 (jī ròu, muscle) and 肌肤 (jī fū, skin or flesh). It is also used in anatomy words such as 心肌 (xīn jī, heart muscle). In Chinese culture, 肌 is often discussed in health and exercise contexts.

Common words containing 肌 include: 肌肉 (jī ròu) — muscle; 肌肤 (jī fū) — skin / flesh; 心肌 (xīn jī) — heart muscle; myocardium.