How to Write 岖 (qū) — Meaning “Rugged; steep”

Imagine a mountain (山) that is so steep and uneven that you need to call a special "area" (区) just to navigate it safely. The shape of 区 looks like a winding path, which matches the bumpy feel of 岖. This pairing helps link the character to its meaning of ruggedness.

Write the mountain radical (山) on the left first: three strokes (vertical, then left-falling, then right-falling). Then write the right component 区: horizontal, vertical (enclosing), then the inner strokes (two left-falling and one vertical). A common mistake is making the 区 too wide or forgetting the inner strokes; keep the right side compact to balance the character.

岖 means "rugged" (bumpy terrain), while 屹 (yì) means "towering" or "standing tall like a mountain" and 屺 (qǐ) means "a mountain without vegetation." Visually, 屹 has 乞 on the right, 屺 has 己 on the right, and 岖 has 区 on the right. They share the mountain radical but differ in meaning and right-side components.

岖 appears almost exclusively in the word 崎岖 (qí qū), meaning "rugged" or "uneven," often describing a bumpy road or mountain path. It is not commonly used alone, and you may also see 崎岖不平 for emphasis. Culturally, 崎岖 can describe a difficult journey, both literally and metaphorically.

Common words containing 岖 include: 崎岖 (qí qū) — rugged; bumpy; 岖崎 (qū qí) — Rugged; uneven; 崎岖不平 (qí qū bù píng) — rugged and uneven.