癸 meaning and stroke order
10th heavenly stem
How to write 癸, stroke by stroke
9 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
Meaning of 癸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- tenth of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干[shi2 tian1 gan1]
- tenth in order
- letter "J" or Roman "X" in list "A, B, C", or "I, II, III" etc
- ancient Chinese compass point: 15°
- deca
How 癸 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 癶 (legs), shared by 4 characters on this site.
How to remember 癸
Picture two feet stepping apart (癶) on top of the sky (天). The stems march through the heavens in order, and 癸 is the last step, number ten.
癸 (guǐ) is mostly seen in the traditional calendar, where the ten Heavenly Stems combine with the twelve Earthly Branches to name years and days. It also marks the tenth item in a list, and in chemistry names it means "deca-", as in 癸烷 (guǐwán, decane). Example: 癸卯年 (guǐmǎo nián) the guimao year, such as 2023.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 癸 with 葵 (kuí, sunflower), which adds the grass radical on top and has a different sound. Also keep the third tone in guǐ, and do not mix it up with 鬼 (guǐ, ghost), which sounds the same.
Characters that contain 癸
Learning 癸 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 癸
How many strokes are in 癸?
癸 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 癸 mean?
癸 (guǐ) means 10th heavenly stem.
How do you pronounce 癸?
癸 is pronounced guǐ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 癸?
The radical of 癸 is 癶, which carries the idea of "legs". Dictionaries list 癸 under this radical.
What are the ten Heavenly Stems in order?
They are 甲 (jiǎ), 乙 (yǐ), 丙 (bǐng), 丁 (dīng), 戊 (wù), 己 (jǐ), 庚 (gēng), 辛 (xīn), 壬 (rén), 癸 (guǐ). Together they are called 十天干 (shí tiāngān).
Is 癸 used in everyday conversation?
Not really. You will mainly meet it in calendar year names, fortune telling, historical texts, and chemical names like 癸烷 (guǐwán).