棘 meaning and stroke order
Jujube tree; thorns, brambles
How to write 棘, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
Meaning of 棘
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- thorns
How 棘 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Thorn.
朿 gives the meaning and 朿 hints at the sound.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 棘
棘 is two copies of 朿 (cì), a thorn, standing side by side. Two thorns next to each other make a thorny bush or bramble.
棘 rarely appears alone in modern Chinese. You mostly see it in 棘手 (jíshǒu), meaning a tricky or hard-to-handle problem, and 荆棘 (jīngjí), brambles. Example: 这个问题很棘手。(Zhège wèntí hěn jíshǒu.) This problem is very thorny.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 棘 with 枣 (zǎo, jujube), which is two 朿 stacked vertically in its traditional form 棗, while 棘 places them side by side. Also be careful not to write 朿 as 束 (shù); 朿 has no closed box in the middle.
Common words with 棘
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
棘 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 棘
How many strokes are in 棘?
棘 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 棘 mean?
棘 (jí) means jujube tree; thorns, brambles. A common word with it is 棘手 (jíshǒu), meaning "thorny (problem); intractable".
How do you pronounce 棘?
棘 is pronounced jí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 棘?
The radical of 棘 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 棘 under this radical.
Is 棘 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 棘 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 棘手 literally mean?
It literally means thorny to the hand, like grabbing a bramble. It describes a situation or problem that is difficult to deal with, such as 棘手的事 (jíshǒu de shì), a tricky matter.
Is 荆棘 used figuratively?
Yes. 荆棘 can describe hardships and obstacles on a path, as in 充满荆棘 (chōngmǎn jīngjí), full of difficulties. It is common in written and formal speech.