How to Write 妾 (qiè) — Meaning “Concubine.”

Picture a woman (女) standing (立) off to the side while the main wife sits – that extra standing woman is the concubine. The image of a woman standing apart helps recall both the character and its meaning.

Write the top part 立 first: dot, horizontal, dot, left-falling stroke, then horizontal. Then write 女 below: left-falling stroke, right-falling stroke, horizontal. Keep the top compact and the bottom wider; a common mistake is making the top too large.

Unlike 妾, which is stacked (立 on top of 女), both 奸 and 她 are left-right structures. 奸 has 女 on the left and 干 on the right, meaning adultery or evil. 她 has 女 on the left and 也 on the right, meaning "she". You can remember 妾 by its vertical arrangement.

妾 is very rare in everyday modern speech; you mainly see it in historical novels, legal terms like 纳妾 (to take a concubine), or classical phrases like 臣妾 (a woman referring to herself as a servant). It carries a feudal, old-fashioned feeling and is not used in normal conversation.

Common words containing 妾 include: 纳妾 (nà qiè) — to take a concubine; 妻妾 (qī qiè) — Wives and concubines.; 臣妾 (chén qiè) — I, your servant/concubine (used by women in court).