忌 meaning and stroke order
To be jealous of; fear; dread
How to write 忌, stroke by stroke
7 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
Meaning of 忌
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to be jealous of
- fear
- dread
- scruple
- to avoid or abstain from
- to quit
How 忌 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
心 gives the meaning and 己 hints at the sound.
Radical: 心 (heart), shared by 97 characters on this site.
How to remember 忌
忌 is 己 (jǐ, self) sitting on top of 心 (xīn, heart). 心 gives the meaning of feelings, and 己 gives the sound, so picture a heart that only thinks of itself and feels jealous or afraid.
忌 rarely stands alone in speech. It mostly appears in words like 妒忌 (dùjì, to be jealous), 禁忌 (jìnjì, taboo), and 忌口 (jìkǒu, to avoid certain foods). Example: 感冒的时候要忌口。(Gǎnmào de shíhou yào jìkǒu.) When you have a cold, you should avoid certain foods.
Common mistake: Learners often write the top part as 已 (yǐ) or 巳 (sì) instead of 己. In 忌 the top stroke of 己 stays open and does not close up. Also remember the tone is fourth tone jì, not third tone like 己 (jǐ).
Common words with 忌
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 妒忌 | dùjì | to be jealous of (sb's achievements etc); to be envious | HSK 7-9 |
| 禁忌 | jìnjì | taboo; contraindication (medicine) | HSK 7-9 |
| 忌讳 | jìhuì | taboo; to avoid as taboo | HSK 7-9 |
| 忌口 | jìkǒu | abstain from certain food (as when ill); avoid certain foods | HSK 7-9 |
| 威士忌 | wēishìjì | whiskey (loanword) | |
| 忌妒 | jìdu | to be jealous of; to envy | |
| 顾忌 | gùjì | to have misgivings; apprehension | |
| 忌日 | jìrì | anniversary of a death; inauspicious day | |
| 肆无忌惮 | sìwújìdàn | absolutely unrestrained; unbridled | |
| 威士忌酒 | wēishìjìjiǔ | whiskey (loanword) |
忌 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 忌
How many strokes are in 忌?
忌 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 忌 mean?
忌 (jì) means to be jealous of; fear; dread. A common word with it is 妒忌 (dùjì), meaning "to be jealous of (sb's achievements etc); to be envious".
How do you pronounce 忌?
忌 is pronounced jì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 忌?
The radical of 忌 is 心, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 忌 under this radical.
Is 忌 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 忌 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 妒忌 and 忌妒?
They mean the same thing, to be jealous or envious, and both are common. 忌妒 is often read with a neutral tone as jìdu in everyday speech.
Why is 忌 in the word for whiskey?
威士忌 (wēishìjì) is a sound loanword from English. Here 忌 is used only for its sound jì, and its meaning of jealousy or avoidance plays no role.