How to Write 京 (jīng) — Meaning “capital; Beijing (short form)”

Picture a capital city with a grand roof (亠) over a central square (口) and small houses (小) around it. You can also think of the famous Beijing opera mask, where the top line is the headband and the bottom 小 represents decorative tassels.

Start with the dot and horizontal line of 亠, then write the 口 shape with three strokes, keeping it narrow. Finish with the bottom 小 part: first the vertical hook, then left dot, then right dot – make sure the vertical hook is straight and the dots are balanced on both sides.

京 has a clear 口 (mouth) in the middle and a 小 (small) at the bottom, while 㐬 has a different lower part (like a flowing shape) and is rarely used today. 㐭 looks like a roof over a field (㐭 is an old character for granary), so it has no 口 or 小 components.

京 is most commonly used as the short form for Beijing, as in 北京 (Beijing). It also appears in words like 京剧 (Peking Opera) and 南京 (Nanjing), showing its cultural importance in Chinese history and geography.

Common words containing 京 include: 北京 (běi jīng) — Beijing; 京剧 (jīng jù) — Peking Opera; 南京 (nán jīng) — Nanjing.