How to Write 椅 (yǐ) — Meaning “Chair”

Think of a wooden chair (木) with a strange (奇) design — the strange chair helps you recall the right side. You can also imagine sitting on a chair and saying “yǐ” like “easy” because a chair makes resting easy.

Write the left radical 木 narrow and tall, then the right part 奇 (8 strokes) starting with 大 then 可. A common mistake is making the vertical hook in 可 too short or missing it entirely. Also, keep the top of the right part level with the horizontal stroke of 木.

椅 has 木 on the left and 奇 on the right, and it means chair. 柴 (chái) also has 木 but uses 此 at the bottom, meaning firewood. 栓 (shuān) has 木 on the left and 全 on the right, meaning a bolt or plug. Visually, the right parts (奇 vs 此 vs 全) are the key difference.

椅 is mainly used in the word 椅子 (yǐ zi), which is the common word for any chair. It also appears in compounds like 沙发椅 (armchair) and 折叠椅 (folding chair). In Chinese culture, 椅 is never used alone as a noun — always with 子 or another word.

Common words containing 椅 include: 椅子 (yǐ zi) — Chair; 沙发椅 (shā fā yǐ) — Armchair; 折叠椅 (zhé dié yǐ) — folding chair.