Hanzi Writer

How to Write 棋 (qí) — Meaning “chess or board game”

qí HSK Level 7 12 strokes Radical: 木

棋 (qí) means "chess or board game" in Chinese. It has 12 strokes with the radical 木, and is HSK Level 7.

Rated 4.2/5 in difficulty (advanced).

Harder than 64% of HSK Level 7 characters.

Appears in 3+ common words including 下棋 (xià qí), 围棋 (wéi qí), 象棋 (xiàng qí).

Due to its 12 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 棋 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 棋 - qí

Practice Writing 棋 (qí)

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How to Write 棋

The character 棋 (qí) is written with 12 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 木 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does qí (棋) Mean in Chinese?

棋 means chess or board game.

As an HSK Level 7 character, 棋 is an intermediate-level character.

Character Data

Character棋
Pinyinqí (qi)
Meaningchess or board game
Strokes12
Radical木
HSK Level7
Difficulty4.2/5

Origin of 棋

棋 combines the radical 木 (wood) with the phonetic component 其 (qí, meaning 'that' or 'its'), reflecting that ancient chess pieces were often carved from wood. The character originally referred to the game of chess or board games played with such pieces.

💡 Memory Tip: Imagine a wooden (木) board game where each piece sits on its own (其) square, forming the pattern of the character 棋.

Common Words with 棋

下棋 xià qí
to play chess
围棋 wéi qí
Go (the board game)
象棋 xiàng qí
Chinese chess

Example Sentences

爷爷喜欢在公园下棋。

yé yé xǐ huān zài gōng yuán xià qí

Grandpa likes playing chess in the park.

围棋是中国传统文化。

wéi qí shì zhōng guó chuán tǒng wén huà

Go is a part of traditional Chinese culture.

他象棋下得很好。

tā xiàng qí xià dé hěn hǎo

He plays chess very well.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
棋 (current) qí 12 木
柴 chái 10 木
栓 shuān 10 木
栖 qī / xī 10 木
Stroke order practice for 棋 - qí

Practice Writing 棋 (qí)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 棋 with real-time feedback.

✨ Animated stroke order · Handwriting recognition · HSK-graded practice · Free to use

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Frequently Asked Questions about 棋

棋 is made of two parts: the left radical 木 (wood) and the right part 其 (qí, which provides sound). The wood radical hints at the ancient practice of carving chess pieces from wood, while 其 gives the character its pronunciation.

More HSK Level 7 Characters

伯bó呵hē哎āi哀āi唉āi/ài癌ái艾ài/yì滋zī抚fǔ逸yì昂áng凹āo/wā熬āo/áo奥ào卦guà扒bā/pá芭bā蕾lěi柄bǐng靶bǎ

Characters with Radical 木

木mù未wèi末mò本běn札zhá术shù朱zhū朴pō/pǔ朵duǒ机jī

Other 12-Stroke Characters

亵xiè傅fù傈lì傍bàng傕jué傚xiào傣dǎi傥tǎng傧bīn储chǔ