祈 meaning and stroke order
To pray, to entreat, to beseech
How to write 祈, stroke by stroke
8 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 祈
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to implore
- to pray
- to request
How 祈 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Spirit.
礻 gives the meaning and 斤 hints at the sound.
Radical: 礻 (spirit), shared by 43 characters on this site.
How to remember 祈
The left side 礻 is the spirit radical, so 祈 is about dealing with gods or spirits. The right side 斤 (jīn) gives the sound, so picture yourself standing at an altar asking the spirits for help.
祈 rarely appears alone in modern Chinese and mostly shows up in two-character words like 祈祷 (qídǎo), 祈求 (qíqiú), and 祈福 (qífú). It has a formal or religious feel and is common at temples, in churches, and in written wishes. Example: 我们为他祈祷。(Wǒmen wèi tā qídǎo.) We pray for him.
Common mistake: Learners often write 衤 (the clothing radical, with an extra dot stroke) instead of 礻 on the left. Remember that 祈 is about spirits, not clothes. Also do not read it as jīn just because of 斤. It is qí with a second tone.
Common words with 祈
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 祈祷 | qídǎo | to pray; to say a prayer | HSK 7-9 |
| 祈求 | qíqiú | to pray for; to appeal | |
| 祈福 | qífú | to pray for blessings | |
| 祈愿 | qíyuàn | to pray; to pray for sth |
祈 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 祈
How many strokes are in 祈?
祈 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 祈 mean?
祈 (qí) means to pray, to entreat, to beseech. A common word with it is 祈祷 (qídǎo), meaning "to pray; to say a prayer".
How do you pronounce 祈?
祈 is pronounced qí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 祈?
The radical of 祈 is 礻, which carries the idea of "spirit". Dictionaries list 祈 under this radical.
Is 祈 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 祈 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 祈祷 and 祈求?
祈祷 (qídǎo) is the general act of praying or saying a prayer. 祈求 (qíqiú) focuses on earnestly asking for something specific, such as 祈求和平 (qíqiú hépíng), praying for peace.
Is 祈 related to 期 or 旗, which are also pronounced qí?
They share the sound qí but are different characters with different meanings. 期 means a period or to expect, and 旗 means a flag. Only 祈 has the spirit radical 礻 and means to pray.