栖 meaning and stroke order
Perch, roost, to stay
How to write 栖, stroke by stroke
10 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 栖
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to perch
- to rest (of birds)
- to dwell
- to live
- to stay
- used in 棲棲|栖栖[xi1 xi1]
How 栖 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Tree.
木 gives the meaning and 西 hints at the sound.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 栖
A bird settles on a tree 木 (mù) to rest. The right side 西 (xī) gives the sound, so think of the bird sighing "xī" as it perches for the night.
栖 (qī) is mostly used in compound words rather than alone, often in written or scientific contexts about animals and where they live. Common words include 栖息 (qīxī) and 栖息地 (qīxīdì). Example: 这片湿地是很多鸟的栖息地。(Zhè piàn shīdì shì hěn duō niǎo de qīxīdì.) This wetland is a habitat for many birds.
Common mistake: Learners often read 栖 as xī because of its phonetic part 西, but the normal reading is qī with a first tone. The xī reading only appears in the rare word 栖栖 (xīxī).
Common words with 栖
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
栖 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 栖
How many strokes are in 栖?
栖 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 栖 mean?
栖 (qī) means perch, roost, to stay. A common word with it is 两栖 (liǎngqī), meaning "amphibious; dual-talented".
How do you pronounce 栖?
栖 is pronounced qī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 栖?
The radical of 栖 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 栖 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 栖?
The traditional form of 栖 is 棲. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 栖 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 栖 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 栖 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why does 两栖 (liǎngqī) mean amphibious?
两 means two and 栖 means to live or dwell, so 两栖 literally means living in two places, on land and in water. It is also used for people who are good in two fields, like an actor who also sings.
Can 栖 be used for people, not just birds?
Yes. In words like 栖身 (qīshēn), it means a person stays or lives somewhere, usually temporarily or in modest conditions. For example, 无处栖身 (wú chù qīshēn) means having nowhere to stay.