How to Write 亟 (jí) — Meaning “urgently; earnestly”

Imagine you urgently need two (二) mouths (口) to speak faster because time is pressing. The hooked stroke at the bottom looks like a microphone stand, so you are speaking urgently into a microphone. This visual link helps you recall both the shape and the meaning of the character.

The character has 8 strokes and a balanced structure: start with the top horizontal, then a left-falling stroke, then a horizontal for the top of the mouth, followed by a vertical and two more horizontals. A common mistake is to make the bottom hook too large or to forget the final vertical stroke, so pay attention to the hook's direction and the overall width.

亟 has a clear mouth shape 口 inside and a bottom hook, while 亘 (gèn) looks like a vertical line crossing two horizontal bars with no inner mouth. 亚 (yà) is symmetrical with two vertical lines and a horizontal middle, unlike 亟's asymmetric structure. The meaning is also distinct: 亟 means urgent, 亘 means extending, and 亚 means second or Asia.

亟 is a formal, literary character found in phrases like 亟待 (urgently await) and 亟需 (urgently need), often in news or official reports. It is not used in daily conversation, where 紧急 or 迫切 is more common. You might see it in serious contexts, such as "问题亟需解决" (the problem urgently needs to be solved).

Common words containing 亟 include: 亟待 (jí dài) — urgently await; in urgent need of; 亟需 (jí xū) — urgently need; 亟欲 (jí yù) — anxious to; eager to.