寄 meaning and stroke order
To entrust; to place in sb's care; (bound form) to depend on; to attach oneself to; to reside temporarily; (bound form) foster (as in 寄女[ji4 nu : 3] foster daughter)
How to write 寄, 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 寄
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to entrust; to place in sb's care
- (bound form) to depend on; to attach oneself to; to reside temporarily
- (bound form) foster (as in 寄女[ji4 nu : 3] foster daughter)
- to send by post; to mail
How 寄 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Roof.
宀 gives the meaning and 奇 hints at the sound.
Radical: 宀 (roof), shared by 67 characters on this site.
How to remember 寄
寄 has a roof 宀 on top of 奇 (qí), which gives the sound. Picture something placed under someone else's roof for safekeeping: you entrust it, or you stay there yourself for a while.
In daily life 寄 most often means to mail or send something, as in 邮寄 (yóujì) or 寄出 (jìchū). It also appears in words about staying or depending on others, like 寄宿 (jìsù) to board and 寄生虫 (jìshēngchóng) parasite. Example: 我给妈妈寄了一个包裹。(Wǒ gěi māma jì le yí ge bāoguǒ.) I mailed a package to my mom.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 寄 (jì) with 奇 (qí, strange) because they share the same bottom part, so remember the roof 宀 on 寄. Also do not mix up 寄 with 骑 (qí, to ride), which has 马 on the left.
Common words with 寄
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 寄托 | jìtuō | to entrust (to sb); to place (one's hope, energy etc) in | HSK 7-9 |
| 寄生虫 | jìshēngchóng | parasite (biology); (fig.) freeloader | |
| 寄宿 | jìsù | to stay; to lodge; to board | |
| 寄养 | jìyǎng | to place in the care of sb (a child, pet etc); to foster | |
| 寄出 | jìchū | to mail; to send by post | |
| 寄生 | jìshēng | to live in or on another organism as a parasite; to live by taking advantage of others | |
| 邮寄 | yóujì | to mail; to send by post |
寄 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 寄
How many strokes are in 寄?
寄 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 寄 mean?
寄 (jì) means to entrust; to place in sb's care; (bound form) to depend on; to attach oneself to; to reside temporarily; (bound form) foster (as in 寄女[ji4 nu : 3] foster daughter). A common word with it is 寄托 (jìtuō), meaning "to entrust (to sb); to place (one's hope, energy etc) in".
How do you pronounce 寄?
寄 is pronounced jì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 寄?
The radical of 寄 is 宀, which carries the idea of "roof". Dictionaries list 寄 under this radical.
Is 寄 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 寄 is part of the HSK 4 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 寄 and 送?
寄 means to send something by post or a delivery service, so it is not delivered in person. 送 (sòng) means to give or deliver something yourself, or to see someone off.
How do I use 寄 with a receiver?
Use 给 to mark the receiver, either before the verb as in 给他寄信 (gěi tā jì xìn), or after it as in 寄给他一封信 (jì gěi tā yì fēng xìn). Both mean to mail him a letter.