How to Write 颀 (qí) — Meaning “Tall (of a person)”

Picture a tall person (页 for head) holding an axe (斤) and chopping at a tree to reach a high branch. The axe helps you recall the sound qí (similar to "key") and the image reinforces the meaning of being tall and upright.

Write 斤 first with the leftward stroke, then the right side 页, which has a horizontal stroke as the second stroke. Make sure the left side is slightly narrower than the right, and the bottom of 斤 aligns roughly with the top part of 页 to keep the character balanced.

颀 (tall) uses 斤 + 页, while 顶 (top, apex) uses 丁 + 页 and means the highest point. 顷 (a unit of land, or moment) uses 匕 + 页 and is pronounced qǐng. Visually, 颀 has 斤 on the left, 顶 has 丁, and 顷 has 匕 — each changes the meaning entirely.

颀 is a literary character used to describe a person's tall and graceful figure, often in phrases like 颀长 (tall and slender) or 颀伟 (tall and sturdy). You'll mainly find it in formal writing, poetry, or descriptions of elegant physique, not in everyday spoken Chinese.

Common words containing 颀 include: 颀长 (qí cháng) — Tall and slender; 颀伟 (qí wěi) — Tall and sturdy; 颀然 (qí rán) — Tall and upright.