How to Write 琪 (qí) — Meaning “Fine jade”

Imagine a king (王) holding a piece of fine jade that is so special he asks "What is this?" — using the sound of 其 (qí). This helps you associate the jade radical with the meaning and the right side with the pronunciation.

When writing 琪, keep the left radical 王 narrow and the right side 其 balanced; the bottom horizontal stroke of 王 should be slightly shorter than the top one. Also, note that 其 has a horizontal stroke at the top, two vertical strokes inside, and two horizontal strokes near the bottom — do not confuse these with other similar shapes.

While all three contain the jade radical, 琪 specifically means fine jade and is used in modern names. 珙 (gǒng) refers to a type of jade vessel or a name, and 珞 (luò) means a necklace of beads or a strong jade — they are visually distinct in their right-side components: 其 vs 共 vs 各.

琪 is almost exclusively used in personal names, especially in nicknames like 琪琪 (Qiqi) or transliterations like 安琪 (Angel). It carries a positive connotation of preciousness and beauty, similar to jade, but is not part of common vocabulary.

Common words containing 琪 include: 琪琪 (qí qí) — Qiqi (a nickname); 安琪 (ān qí) — Angel / Angie; 琪琳 (qí lín) — Qilin (a name).