极 meaning and stroke order
Extremely; pole (geography, physics); utmost
How to write 极, 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.
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Meaning of 极
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- extremely
- pole (geography, physics)
- utmost
- top
How 极 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Wood.
木 gives the meaning and 及 hints at the sound.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 极
极 combines 木 (wood) as the meaning part and 及 (jí) as the sound part. Picture a wooden pole reaching as far as it can go, all the way to the top, the utmost point.
极 often follows an adjective with 了 to mean "extremely," as in 好极了, and it appears in words like 北极 (běijí, North Pole) and 积极 (jījí, active). Example: 这个菜好吃极了。(Zhège cài hǎochī jí le.) This dish is extremely tasty.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 极 with 级 (jí, level, grade), which sounds the same but has the silk radical 纟 instead of 木. Remember that 年级 (niánjí, school grade) uses 级, while 极了 uses 极.
Common words with 极
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 极了 | jí le | extremely; exceedingly | HSK 3 |
| 积极 | jījí | active; energetic | HSK 3 |
| 积极性 | jījíxìng | zeal; initiative | HSK 3 |
| 极其 | jíqí | extremely | HSK 4 |
| 北极 | běijí | the North Pole; the north magnetic pole | HSK 5 |
| 南极 | nánjí | the South Pole; the south magnetic pole | HSK 5 |
| 消极 | xiāojí | negative; passive | HSK 5 |
| 极端 | jíduān | extreme | HSK 6 |
| 极限 | jíxiàn | limit; extreme boundary | HSK 7-9 |
| 极度 | jídù | extremely | HSK 7-9 |
| 极为 | jíwéi | extremely; exceedingly | HSK 7-9 |
| 极力 | jílì | to make a supreme effort; at all costs | HSK 7-9 |
| 太极 | tàijí | the Absolute or Supreme Ultimate, the source of all things according to some interpretatio | HSK 7-9 |
| 极少数 | jí shǎoshù | extremely few; a small minority | HSK 7-9 |
极 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 极
How many strokes are in 极?
极 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 极 mean?
极 (jí) means extremely; pole (geography, physics); utmost. A common word with it is 极了 (jí le), meaning "extremely; exceedingly".
How do you pronounce 极?
极 is pronounced jí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 极?
The radical of 极 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 极 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 极?
The traditional form of 极 is 極. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 极 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 极 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 极 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 极了 and 极其?
极了 comes after an adjective and sounds casual, as in 累极了 (lèi jí le, extremely tired). 极其 (jíqí) comes before an adjective and sounds more formal or written, as in 极其重要 (jíqí zhòngyào, extremely important).
Does 积极 mean "extremely"?
No. 积极 (jījí) means active, positive, or enthusiastic, as in 他工作很积极 (He works very actively). Its opposite is 消极 (xiāojí), meaning negative or passive.