疾 meaning and stroke order
Sickness, illness, disease; to envy, to hate
How to write 疾, 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 疾
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) disease; ailment
- (bound form) swift
- (literary) to hate; to abhor
How 疾 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Sickness.
疒 gives the meaning and 矢 hints at the sound.
Radical: 疒 (sickness), shared by 127 characters on this site.
How to remember 疾
疾 is built from the sickness radical 疒 (a sickbed) with 矢 (shǐ, arrow) inside. Picture an illness that strikes as fast as an arrow, which also helps you remember its second meaning, swift.
疾 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It appears in formal words like 疾病 (jíbìng, disease) and 残疾 (cánjí, disabled), and in the sense of speed in words like 疾风 (jífēng, gale). Example: 这种疾病很常见。(Zhè zhǒng jíbìng hěn chángjiàn.) This disease is very common.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 疾 with 病 (bìng). Both mean illness, but 病 works alone in speech (我病了), while 疾 needs a partner word, so do not say 我疾了. Also watch the inner part: it is 矢 (arrow), not 失 (shī, to lose), whose top stroke pokes through.
Common words with 疾
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 疾病 | jíbìng | disease; sickness; ailment | HSK 6 |
| 残疾 | cánjí | disabled; handicapped | HSK 6 |
| 残疾人 | cánjírén | disabled person | HSK 6 |
| 疾控中心 | jíkòngzhōngxīn | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); abbr. for 疾病預防控製中心|疾病预防控制中心[ji2 bing4 yu | |
| 疟疾 | nüèjí | malaria | |
| 精神疾病 | jīngshénjíbìng | mental illness | |
| 痢疾 | lìji | dysentery | |
| 疾风 | jífēng | strong wind; gale |
疾 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 疾
Learning 疾 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 疾
How many strokes are in 疾?
疾 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 疾 mean?
疾 (jí) means sickness, illness, disease; to envy, to hate. A common word with it is 疾病 (jíbìng), meaning "disease; sickness; ailment".
How do you pronounce 疾?
疾 is pronounced jí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 疾?
The radical of 疾 is 疒, which carries the idea of "sickness". Dictionaries list 疾 under this radical.
Is 疾 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 疾 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 疾病 and 病?
病 is the everyday word and can be a noun or verb, as in 他病了 (tā bìng le, he is sick). 疾病 is a more formal noun used in medicine, news and official writing, such as 预防疾病 (yùfáng jíbìng, prevent disease).
Is 残疾 a polite word to use?
残疾人 (cánjírén) is the standard official term for a disabled person in mainland China and is used in law and the media. In conversation, some people prefer gentler phrasing, but 残疾人 is not considered an insult.