How to Write 脐 (qí) — Meaning “navel; belly button”

Imagine the navel as a neat round scar left after the umbilical cord is cut — the flesh (月) has a clean, even (齐) mark. So 脐 is "flesh with a neat spot."

Write the left radical 月 first (as a narrow vertical shape), then the right part 齐. A common mistake is confusing the stroke order inside 齐: start with the dot on top, then the horizontal stroke, then the left-falling stroke, followed by vertical strokes and two horizontal lines. Keep the right side balanced and not too wide.

脐 (qí) has 月 on the left and 齐 on the right, meaning navel. 朊 (ruǎn, rare) is 月 plus 元, meaning soft or protein — visually the right side has 元 instead of 齐. 朋 (péng) is two 月 side by side, meaning friend — it looks symmetrical unlike 脐's single 月.

脐 appears in common words like 肚脐 (belly button), 脐带 (umbilical cord), and 脐橙 (navel orange). The navel orange gets its name from a small bump on the fruit that resembles a human belly button, making it a fun real-world connection to the character.

Common words containing 脐 include: 肚脐 (dù qí) — Belly button; navel.; 脐橙 (qí chéng) — navel orange; 脐带 (qí dài) — umbilical cord.