How to Write 吱 (zhī) — Meaning “to squeak; to make a sound”

Imagine a small mouse opening its mouth (口) and letting out a tiny ‘zhī’ squeak. The right side 支 looks like a little branch (支) that the mouse is sitting on while it squeaks. This image ties the shape and sound together.

The left 口 should be small and square, placed slightly higher than the center. The right side 支 has seven strokes: first the top横, then 竖, then under it 又 (which starts with 横撇 and ends with 捺). Be careful not to make the mouth too large, as that can unbalance the character.

吱 has the meaning of 'to squeak' and is used for sounds, while 卟 (bǔ) is rare and often means 'to divine' or appears in onomatopoeia like 卟噜 (sound of water). 古 (gǔ) means 'ancient' and has a completely different form (十 in 口). Visually, 吱 has 支 on the right, whereas 卟 has 卜 and 古 has 十 inside 口.

吱 is an onomatopoeic character for small, high-pitched sounds like a mouse squeaking (吱吱叫) or a door creaking. It is also used in the verb 吱声, meaning 'to make a sound' or 'to speak up,' often in negative sentences like '不吱声' (not say a word). It appears in informal or spoken contexts, not in formal writing.

Common words containing 吱 include: 吱声 (zhī shēng) — to make a sound; to speak up; 吱吱叫 (zhī zhī jiào) — to squeak; to chirp; 吱一声 (zhī yī shēng) — to make a sound; to say something.