極 meaning and stroke order
Extreme, top; final, furthest, utmost; pole
How to write 極, 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 極
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- extremely
- pole (geography, physics)
- utmost
- top
How 極 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Wood.
木 gives the meaning and 亟 hints at the sound.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 極
極 combines 木 (wood), the meaning part, with 亟 (jí), which gives the sound. Picture the highest wooden beam at the very top of a house, the furthest point you can reach.
極 often means "extremely" and appears after adjectives in 極了 (jí le) or before them in 極其 (jíqí). It also names the poles, as in 北極 (běijí) and 南極 (nánjí). Example: 今天熱極了。(Jīntiān rè jí le.) It is extremely hot today.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes put 極了 before the adjective. It must follow it: 好極了 (hǎo jí le), not 極了好. Also keep the right side 亟 distinct from look-alikes, and remember that simplified Chinese writes this character as 极.
Common words with 極
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 極了 | jí le | extremely; exceedingly | HSK 3 |
| 積極 | jījí | active; energetic | HSK 3 |
| 積極性 | jījíxìng | zeal; initiative | HSK 3 |
| 極其 | jíqí | extremely | HSK 4 |
| 北極 | běijí | the North Pole; the north magnetic pole | HSK 5 |
| 南極 | nánjí | the South Pole; the south magnetic pole | HSK 5 |
| 消極 | xiāojí | negative; passive | HSK 5 |
| 極端 | jíduān | extreme | HSK 6 |
| 極限 | jíxiàn | limit; extreme boundary | HSK 7-9 |
| 極度 | jídù | extremely | HSK 7-9 |
| 極為 | jíwéi | extremely; exceedingly | HSK 7-9 |
| 極力 | jílì | to make a supreme effort; at all costs | HSK 7-9 |
| 太極 | tàijí | the Absolute or Supreme Ultimate, the source of all things according to some interpretatio | HSK 7-9 |
| 極少數 | jí shǎoshù | extremely few; a small minority | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 極
How many strokes are in 極?
極 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 極 mean?
極 (jí) means extreme, top; final, furthest, utmost; pole. A common word with it is 极了 (jí le), meaning "extremely; exceedingly".
How do you pronounce 極?
極 is pronounced jí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 極?
The radical of 極 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 極 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 極?
極 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 极, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 極了 and 非常?
非常 (fēicháng) goes before an adjective and sounds neutral. 極了 goes after the adjective and sounds more emotional and spoken, as in 累極了 (lèi jí le), "exhausted."
Why does 積極 mean positive or active?
In 積極 (jījí) and its opposite 消極 (xiāojí), 極 works like a pole or direction. 積極 describes an active, energetic attitude, and 消極 describes a passive, negative one.