期 meaning and stroke order
A period of time; phase; stage
How to write 期, stroke by stroke
12 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 期
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- a period of time
- phase
- stage
- classifier for issues of a periodical, courses of study
- time
- term
How 期 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Moon.
月 gives the meaning and 其 hints at the sound.
Radical: 月 (moon), shared by 14 characters on this site.
How to remember 期
期 is pictophonetic: 其 (qí) on the left gives the sound, and 月 (moon) on the right gives the meaning. The moon's phases mark off regular periods of time, so think of 期 as a stretch of time measured by the moon.
期 rarely stands alone in speech. It mostly appears in words about time spans and dates, like 星期 (xīngqī, week), 学期 (xuéqī, semester), and 假期 (jiàqī, vacation). It is also a classifier for issues of a magazine or sessions of a course. Example: 下个星期我们放假。(Xià ge xīngqī wǒmen fàngjià.) We have a holiday next week.
Common mistake: Learners often write the left side as 甚 or 基, or confuse 期 with 欺 (qī, to cheat), which shares 其 but has 欠 on the right. Also keep the first tone: 期 is qī, not the second tone qí of 其.
Common words with 期
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 星期 | xīngqī | week; day of the week | HSK 1 |
| 日期 | rìqī | date | HSK 1 |
| 星期天 | xīngqītiān | Sunday | HSK 1 |
| 星期日 | xīngqīrì | Sunday | HSK 1 |
| 假期 | jiàqī | holiday period; vacation | HSK 2 |
| 学期 | xuéqī | term; semester | HSK 2 |
| 长期 | chángqī | long-term; for a protracted period | HSK 3 |
| 定期 | dìngqī | at set dates; at regular intervals | HSK 3 |
| 短期 | duǎnqī | short-term | HSK 3 |
| 近期 | jìnqī | near in time; in the near future | HSK 3 |
| 期待 | qīdài | to look forward to; to await | HSK 4 |
| 期间 | qījiān | period of time; time | HSK 4 |
| 期限 | qīxiàn | time limit; deadline | HSK 4 |
| 延期 | yánqī | to delay; to extend | HSK 4 |
期 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 期
How many strokes are in 期?
期 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 期 mean?
期 (qī) means a period of time; phase; stage. A common word with it is 星期 (xīngqī), meaning "week; day of the week".
How do you pronounce 期?
期 is pronounced qī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 期?
The radical of 期 is 月, which carries the idea of "moon". Dictionaries list 期 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 期?
The traditional form of 期 is 朞. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 期 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 期 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 期 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
What is the difference between 星期天 and 星期日?
Both mean Sunday. 星期天 (xīngqītiān) is more common in everyday speech, while 星期日 (xīngqīrì) sounds a bit more formal and is often seen in writing and on calendars.
How do I use 期 as a classifier?
Put a number before 期 to count magazine issues or training sessions, for example 这本杂志的第三期 (zhè běn zázhì de dì sān qī, the third issue of this magazine). It counts installments that come out or happen in a series.