基 meaning and stroke order
Foundation, base
How to write 基, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 基
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) base; foundation
- (bound form) radical (chemistry)
- (bound form) gay (loanword from English into Cantonese, Jyutping: gei1, followed by orthographic borrowing from Cantonese)
How 基 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Earth.
土 gives the meaning and 其 hints at the sound.
Radical: 土 (soil), shared by 183 characters on this site.
How to remember 基
基 is built from 其 (qí) on top of 土 (tǔ, earth). Picture a building resting on solid earth: the 土 at the bottom is the ground that every foundation sits on, and 其 gives the sound.
基 rarely stands alone. It appears in many common words like 基本 (jīběn, basic), 基础 (jīchǔ, foundation), and 基地 (jīdì, base). Example: 我的中文基础不太好。(Wǒ de Zhōngwén jīchǔ bú tài hǎo.) My Chinese foundation is not very good.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 基 (jī) with 期 (qī, period), since both use 其. Remember that 基 has 土 for earth underneath, while 期 has 月 on the side and is read with a q sound.
Common words with 基
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 基本 | jīběn | basic; fundamental | HSK 3 |
| 基本上 | jīběnshàng | basically; on the whole | HSK 3 |
| 基础 | jīchǔ | base; foundation; basis; basic; fundamental | HSK 3 |
| 基地 | jīdì | base (of operations, industrial, military, research etc) | HSK 5 |
| 基金 | jījīn | fund | HSK 5 |
| 基督教 | Jīdūjiào | Christianity | HSK 6 |
| 基因 | jīyīn | gene (loanword) | HSK 7-9 |
| 基于 | jīyú | because of; on the basis of | HSK 7-9 |
| 根基 | gēnjī | foundation | HSK 7-9 |
| 基层 | jīcéng | basic level; grassroots unit | HSK 7-9 |
| 基准 | jīzhǔn | (surveying) datum; standard; criterion; benchmark | HSK 7-9 |
| 基本功 | jīběngōng | basic skills; fundamentals | HSK 7-9 |
| 基佬 | jīlǎo | (slang) gay guy | |
| 基金会 | jījīnhuì | foundation (institution supported by an endowment) |
基 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 基
How many strokes are in 基?
基 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 基 mean?
基 (jī) means foundation, base. A common word with it is 基本 (jīběn), meaning "basic; fundamental".
How do you pronounce 基?
基 is pronounced jī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 基?
The radical of 基 is 土, which carries the idea of "soil". Dictionaries list 基 under this radical.
Is 基 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 基 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 基本 and 基础?
基本 (jīběn) is mostly used as an adjective or adverb meaning basic or basically, as in 基本上 (jīběnshàng). 基础 (jīchǔ) is usually a noun meaning foundation or groundwork, as in 打基础 (dǎ jīchǔ, lay a foundation).
Why does 基 sometimes mean gay?
In Cantonese, 基 (gei1) sounds like the English word gay, so it was borrowed to write that word. This use then spread into Mandarin slang, for example 基友 (jīyǒu), a close same-sex friend or gay partner.