How to Write 崎 (qí) — Meaning “rugged; uneven”

Imagine a mountain (山) that looks strange (奇) because its path is bumpy and uneven. You can think: "The mountain path is odd—it’s so rugged!" This connects the sound qí and the meaning of unevenness.

The left radical 山 is written narrow and tall, taking up about one-third of the width. The right part 奇 starts with a large 大 on top and a small 可 below—make sure the 可 does not extend too far left under the 大. A common mistake is making the mountain radical too wide, which throws off the balance.

崎 (qí) means rugged or bumpy and is almost always used in the word 崎岖. 峋 (xún) appears mainly in the word 嶙峋 (lín xún), which describes jagged rocks or a person’s gauntness. 峇 (kè or bā) is rare, often just a component in place names, and has no clear meaning about unevenness.

崎 is almost exclusively used in the compound 崎岖 (qí qū) to describe roads, paths, or terrain that are rough and uneven. It appears in formal descriptions like 山路崎岖 (the mountain road is rugged) and is not a standalone word. There is no special cultural note besides its strong association with challenging mountain trails.

Common words containing 崎 include: 崎岖 (qí qū) — rugged; bumpy; 崎岖不平 (qí qū bù píng) — rugged and uneven; 山路崎岖 (shān lù qí qū) — The mountain road is rugged..