嫉 meaning and stroke order
Jealous, envious
How to write 嫉, stroke by stroke
13 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 嫉
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- jealousy
- to be jealous of
How 嫉 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. An envious 疾 woman 女; 疾 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 女 (woman), shared by 156 characters on this site.
How to remember 嫉
嫉 combines 女 (woman) with 疾 (jí, illness), which also gives the sound. Picture jealousy as a sickness that eats at a person from the inside.
嫉 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It usually appears in the word 嫉妒 (jídù) or in the idiom 愤世嫉俗 (fènshìjísú). Example: 他很嫉妒他哥哥。(Tā hěn jídù tā gēge.) He is very jealous of his older brother.
Common mistake: Learners often write 疾 (jí, illness) alone when they mean 嫉, since the sound is the same. Remember that the jealousy character needs the 女 on the left.
Common words with 嫉
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 嫉妒 | jídù | to be jealous of; to envy | HSK 7-9 |
| 愤世嫉俗 | fènshìjísú | to be cynical; to be embittered | |
| 妒嫉 | dùjí | to be jealous of (sb's achievements etc); to be envious |
嫉 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 嫉
How many strokes are in 嫉?
嫉 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 嫉 mean?
嫉 (jí) means jealous, envious. A common word with it is 嫉妒 (jídù), meaning "to be jealous of; to envy".
How do you pronounce 嫉?
嫉 is pronounced jí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 嫉?
The radical of 嫉 is 女, which carries the idea of "woman". Dictionaries list 嫉 under this radical.
Is 嫉 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 嫉 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 嫉妒 and 妒嫉?
They mean the same thing and use the same two characters in reverse order. 嫉妒 is far more common in everyday speech and writing, so learn that one first.
Does 嫉妒 also mean romantic jealousy?
It can, but for romantic jealousy people often say 吃醋 (chīcù), literally to eat vinegar. 嫉妒 leans more toward envy of someone's success, looks or possessions.