其 meaning and stroke order
His; her; its
How to write 其, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Meaning of 其
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- his
- her
- its
- their
- that
- such
How 其 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 八 (eight), shared by 11 characters on this site.
How to remember 其
Picture 其 (qí) as a stack: 甘 on top, then a flat line 一, then 八 as two little legs at the bottom. Think of it as a thing standing on its own legs, and you point at it to say "its" or "that one."
In modern Chinese, 其 rarely stands alone. It mostly appears inside common words like 其他 (qítā), 其实 (qíshí) and 尤其 (yóuqí), or in formal writing where it means "his, her, its, their." Example: 我其实不想去。(Wǒ qíshí bù xiǎng qù.) I actually don't want to go.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 其 with 甚 (shèn) or 基 (jī), which share a similar top part. Also, do not use 其 alone for "his" or "her" in everyday speech. Say 他的 (tā de) or 她的 (tā de) instead.
Common words with 其
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 其他 | qítā | other; (sth or sb) else | HSK 2 |
| 其中 | qízhōng | among; in | HSK 2 |
| 其实 | qíshí | actually; in fact; really | HSK 3 |
| 其次 | qícì | next; secondly | HSK 3 |
| 其余 | qíyú | the rest; the others | HSK 4 |
| 极其 | jíqí | extremely | HSK 4 |
| 尤其 | yóuqí | especially; particularly | HSK 5 |
| 及其 | jí qí | (conjunction linking two nouns) and its ...; and their ...; and his ...; and her ... | HSK 7-9 |
| 莫名其妙 | mòmíngqímiào | (idiom) baffling; bizarre; without rhyme or reason; inexplicable | HSK 7-9 |
| 与其 | yǔqí | rather than... (used in expressions of the form 與其|与其[yu3 qi2] + {verb1} + 不如[bu4 ru2] + { | HSK 7-9 |
| 顺其自然 | shùnqízìrán | to let nature take its course (idiom) | HSK 7-9 |
| 名副其实 | míngfùqíshí | not just in name only, but also in reality (idiom); aptly named | HSK 7-9 |
| 突如其来 | tūrú-qílái | to arise abruptly; to arrive suddenly | HSK 7-9 |
| 其后 | qíhòu | next; later | HSK 7-9 |
其 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 其
Learning 其 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 其
How many strokes are in 其?
其 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 其 mean?
其 (qí) means his; her; its. A common word with it is 其他 (qítā), meaning "other; (sth or sb) else".
How do you pronounce 其?
其 is pronounced qí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 其?
The radical of 其 is 八, which carries the idea of "eight". Dictionaries list 其 under this radical.
Is 其 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 其 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What is the difference between 其他 and 其余?
其他 (qítā) means "other" or "else" and can come before a noun, as in 其他人 (other people). 其余 (qíyú) means "the rest" or "the remaining ones" of a specific group you already mentioned.
How is 其中 used in a sentence?
其中 (qízhōng) means "among them" and refers back to a group already mentioned. For example: 我有三个朋友，其中一个是老师。(Wǒ yǒu sān gè péngyou, qízhōng yí gè shì lǎoshī.) I have three friends, and one of them is a teacher.