戚 meaning and stroke order
Ashamed, grieving; related to; relative
How to write 戚, 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.
- 1
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- 11
Meaning of 戚
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) relatives; kin
- (bound form) grief; sorrow
- (old) battle-axe
- variant of 戚[qi1]
- grief
- sorrow
How 戚 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A younger brother 尗 killed in a war 戈.
Radical: 戈 (spear), shared by 34 characters on this site.
How to remember 戚
Picture a younger brother 尗 caught inside a weapon 戊, killed in a war. The family grieves for their lost kin, so 戚 (qī) means both relatives and sorrow.
Today 戚 is almost always seen in the word 亲戚 (qīnqi), meaning relatives. The grief sense appears mainly in set phrases and literary writing. Example: 过年我们去看亲戚。(Guònián wǒmen qù kàn qīnqi.) We visit relatives at New Year.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 戚 with 威 (wēi, power) or 感 (gǎn, feel), since all are built around a 戈-type frame. Look for 尗 inside: 戚 has 尗, while 威 has 女. Also note that in 亲戚 the second syllable is usually said in the neutral tone, qīnqi, not qīnqī.
Common words with 戚
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 亲戚 | qīnqi | a relative (i.e. family relation) | HSK 7-9 |
戚 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 戚
Learning 戚 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 戚
How many strokes are in 戚?
戚 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 戚 mean?
戚 (qī) means ashamed, grieving; related to; relative. A common word with it is 亲戚 (qīnqi), meaning "a relative (i.e. family relation)".
How do you pronounce 戚?
戚 is pronounced qī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 戚?
The radical of 戚 is 戈, which carries the idea of "spear". Dictionaries list 戚 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 戚?
The traditional form of 戚 is 慼 and 慽. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 戚 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 戚 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 戚 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 亲戚 and 家人?
家人 (jiārén) means the people in your own household, like parents and siblings. 亲戚 (qīnqi) usually means extended relatives such as aunts, uncles and cousins.
Where does the grief meaning of 戚 still appear?
It shows up in literary phrases such as 休戚相关 (xiūqī xiāngguān), sharing joys and sorrows, used for people whose fortunes are closely tied together. It is rare in everyday speech.