How to Write 己 (jǐ) — Meaning “self; oneself”

Picture 己 as a person sitting with their knees pulled up to their chest, hugging themselves. This self-hugging pose reminds you that 己 means 'self' or 'oneself'. The three strokes form the curve of the back and the crossed arms.

Stroke order: first a short horizontal line, then a vertical stroke that curves left and hooks upward, and finally a longer horizontal line that closes the bottom. A common mistake is making the second stroke too straight or not hooking enough, which makes the character look like 已 (yǐ). Keep the top left corner open—the hook should not touch the top horizontal.

己 (jǐ) has an open top left corner—the second stroke hooks but does not close the shape. 已 (yǐ) has a closed top left corner because the second stroke curves all the way up to touch the first horizontal line; it means 'already'. 㠯 is an ancient, rarely used character and looks almost identical to 已, so you will almost never need to worry about it.

己 appears in common words like 自己 (zì jǐ, oneself) and 知己 (zhī jǐ, a soulmate who really knows you). It is also used in the famous Confucian teaching '己所不欲，勿施于人' (Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself). This makes 己 a key character in expressing self-reflection and ethical behavior.

Common words containing 己 include: 自己 (zì jǐ) — oneself; self; 知己 (zhī jǐ) — soulmate; intimate friend; a person who knows one well; 己见 (jǐ jiàn) — one's own opinion.