How to Write 祁 (qí) — Meaning “Grand / Large (often used in names)”

Imagine a grand altar (礻) standing in a huge city (阝) — this visual helps you link the left and right parts. The pinyin "qí" sounds like "key," so picture a key unlocking a grand city gate.

The left radical 礻 starts with a dot, then a horizontal line, a long left-falling stroke, and a vertical stroke — make it narrow. The right side 阝 is written with a horizontal left-falling stroke followed by a vertical stroke, and it should be slightly taller than the left side.

祁 has the right side 阝 (city), while 礼 has a simple curved right part (乚). 祁 is a surname or place name (e.g., 祁门), whereas 礼 means 'ritual' or 'ceremony' (e.g., 礼物, gift). Visually, 祁 has two distinct blocks, but 礼 is more compact.

祁 is commonly used as a surname, for example in the name of the famous calligrapher Qi Gong (启功, but note his surname is actually 启? Wait, correct: 祁 is a surname. It also appears in place names like 祁门 (Qimen, famous for Keemun black tea) and 祁连山 (the Qilian Mountains). These are common in geography and culture.

Common words containing 祁 include: 祁门 (qí mén) — Qimen (Keemun); 祁连山 (qí lián shān) — Qilian Mountains; 姓祁 (xìng qí) — Surname Qi.