How to Write 琦 (qí) — Meaning “Fine jade; admirable”

Imagine a king (王) holding a strange and beautiful jade (奇) that everyone admires. The king's extraordinary gem is both 'fine jade' and 'admirable', matching the meaning of 琦. This visual of a royal treasure helps link the shape and meaning.

Write the left radical 王 first with three horizontal strokes (short, short, long) and one vertical stroke. Then write the right part 奇: start with 大 (horizontal, left-falling, right-falling) followed by 可 (horizontal, vertical, horizontal fold, horizontal, vertical hook). A common mistake is making the left 王 too wide or misplacing the hook in the bottom of 奇.

琦 (qí) contains 奇 on the right and means 'fine jade' or 'admirable', used in words like 琦丽. 珙 (gǒng) has 共 on the right and refers to a specific type of jade, while 珞 (luò) has 各 on the right and appears mainly in proper nouns like 珞珈. Visually, the right-side component is the key difference: 奇, 共, or 各.

琦 is most common in personal names (e.g., the nickname 琦琦) or in literary phrases like 琦丽 to describe magnificent scenery or art. It is not in the HSK list and rarely appears in daily conversation. Culturally, 琦 conveys a sense of rare beauty and high value, often chosen for its positive, refined connotation.

Common words containing 琦 include: 琦丽 (qí lì) — Magnificent; beautiful; 瑰琦 (guī qí) — extraordinary and fine; 琦琦 (qí qí) — Qiqi (a nickname).