How to Write 祺 (qí) — Meaning “Auspicious; blessing (often used in greetings).”

Imagine the left side 礻 as a small altar, and the right side 其 as a shelf holding offerings; the whole scene represents a prayer for good fortune. Alternatively, think of the sound "cheer" (qí) and picture the altar cheering for blessings.

Write the radical 礻 first with 4 strokes: dot, horizontal, left-falling, vertical. Then write the right part 其 with 8 strokes, keeping it balanced and not too wide. A common mistake is making the right part too large or misplacing the vertical stroke in 其, which should be straight and centered.

祺 and 祥 both have the radical 礻 and relate to auspiciousness, but 祺 is used specifically in polite greetings like 台祺, while 祥 appears in words like 吉祥 (good luck). 祧 has 兆 on the right and refers to a distant ancestor's temple, so it has a very different meaning and usage.

祺 is used in formal written greetings, especially at the end of letters, such as 台祺 (wishing you well) or 安祺 (wishing peace). It also appears in personal names, where it conveys a wish for good fortune. This character has a classical, polite feel and is less common in everyday spoken language.

Common words containing 祺 include: 台祺 (tái qí) — wishing you well (polite letter closing); 安祺 (ān qí) — Anqi (a name); 祺祥 (qí xiáng) — Auspicious and lucky..