棲 meaning and stroke order
Perch, roost, to stay
How to write 棲, 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 棲
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 棲 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Tree.
木 gives the meaning and 妻 hints at the sound.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 棲
A bird settles in a tree 木 (mù) and makes a home there, the way a wife 妻 (qī) settles into a household. 木 gives the meaning of tree, and 妻 gives the sound qī.
棲 is the traditional form. In mainland simplified Chinese it is written 栖, which is what you see in words like 栖息 (qīxī) and 两栖 (liǎngqī). It describes birds perching and, more broadly, creatures living somewhere. Example: 鸟儿栖息在树上。(Niǎo'er qīxī zài shù shang.) The birds are perching in the trees.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes read it as qì or qí because of 妻 (qī) or similar characters. It is first tone, qī, just like 妻. Also do not confuse 栖 with 洒 (sǎ) or 西 (xī), which look similar to the right side of the simplified form.
Common words with 棲
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 棲
How many strokes are in 棲?
棲 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 棲 mean?
棲 (qī) means perch, roost, to stay. A common word with it is 两栖 (liǎngqī), meaning "amphibious; dual-talented".
How do you pronounce 棲?
棲 is pronounced qī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 棲?
The radical of 棲 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 棲 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 棲?
棲 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 栖, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 棲 and 栖?
They are the same word. 棲 is the traditional character used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and 栖 is the standard simplified form in mainland China.
Why does 两栖 mean amphibious?
两栖 (liǎngqī) literally means living in two places, on land and in water. It can also describe a person who works successfully in two fields, such as an actor who is also a singer.