機 meaning and stroke order
Desk; machine; moment, opportunity
How to write 機, stroke by stroke
16 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 機
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) machine; mechanism
- (bound form) aircraft
- (bound form) an opportunity
- (bound form) crucial point; pivot
- (bound form) quick-witted; flexible
- (bound form) organic
How 機 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A table 幾 made of wood 木; 幾 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 機
機 combines wood 木 with 幾 (jī), which hints at both a small table and the sound jī. Picture a wooden frame or table fitted with moving parts, the earliest kind of machine.
機 (simplified 机) rarely stands alone and mostly appears in compounds for machines, aircraft, and chances. Think of 手机 (shǒujī) phone, 飞机 (fēijī) airplane, and 机会 (jīhuì) opportunity. Example: 这是一个好机会。(Zhè shì yí ge hǎo jīhuì.) This is a good opportunity.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 機 with 幾 (jǐ, how many), since 幾 is the whole right side. Check for the 木 on the left. Also keep the tone first tone jī, not third tone jǐ.
Common words with 機
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 飛機 | fēijī | airplane | HSK 1 |
| 手機 | shǒujī | cell phone; mobile phone | HSK 1 |
| 機場 | jīchǎng | airport; airfield; (slang) service provider for Shadowsocks or similar software for circum | HSK 1 |
| 機票 | jīpiào | plane ticket; airline ticket | HSK 1 |
| 電視機 | diànshìjī | television set | HSK 1 |
| 機會 | jīhuì | opportunity; chance | HSK 2 |
| 司機 | sījī | chauffeur; driver | HSK 2 |
| 相機 | xiàngjī | camera (abbr. for 照相機|照相机[zhao4 xiang4 ji1]); at the opportune moment | HSK 2 |
| 計算機 | jìsuànjī | computer; (Tw) calculator | HSK 2 |
| 關機 | guānjī | to turn off (a machine or device); to finish shooting a film | HSK 2 |
| 洗衣機 | xǐyījī | washing machine; washer | HSK 2 |
| 開機 | kāijī | to start an engine; to boot up (a computer) | HSK 2 |
| 機器 | jīqì | machine | HSK 3 |
| 收音機 | shōuyīnjī | radio | HSK 3 |
Questions about 機
How many strokes are in 機?
機 is written with 16 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 機 mean?
機 (jī) means desk; machine; moment, opportunity. A common word with it is 飞机 (fēijī), meaning "airplane".
How do you pronounce 機?
機 is pronounced jī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 機?
The radical of 機 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 機 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 機?
機 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 机, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why does 機 mean both machine and opportunity?
Both senses come from the idea of a crucial pivot point. A machine turns on a key mechanism, and an opportunity is the key moment when things turn. That is why 机 appears in both 机器 (jīqì) machine and 机会 (jīhuì) chance.
Can 机 be used alone to mean plane or phone?
In speech it usually needs a compound, such as 飞机 for plane or 手机 for phone. As a short form it shows up in words like 机场 (jīchǎng) airport and 机票 (jīpiào) plane ticket, where 机 stands for aircraft.