紀 meaning and stroke order
Discipline, age; period, era; record, annal
How to write 紀, 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 紀
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- order
- discipline
- age
- era
- period
- to chronicle
How 紀 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Thread.
糹 gives the meaning and 己 hints at the sound.
Radical: 糹 (silk), shared by 126 characters on this site.
How to remember 紀
紀 is pictophonetic: the silk radical 糹 means thread, and 己 (jǐ) gives the sound. Picture knotting a thread to keep count of the years, so a thread that keeps order and records time.
紀 is the traditional form of 纪. It almost always appears in compounds about time, records, or rules, such as 世纪 (shìjì) century, 年纪 (niánjì) age, and 纪律 (jìlǜ) discipline. Example: 你今年多大年纪？ (Nǐ jīnnián duō dà niánjì?) How old are you this year?
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 紀 with 記 (jì, to remember, to record), which has the speech radical 訁 instead of the thread radical. Words like 紀念 (commemorate) and 紀律 (discipline) use the thread version, while 記得 (to remember) uses 記.
Common words with 紀
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 世紀 | shìjì | century | HSK 3 |
| 年紀 | niánjì | age | HSK 3 |
| 紀念 | jìniàn | to commemorate; to honor the memory of; memento; keepsake; souvenir | HSK 3 |
| 紀錄 | jìlù | variant of 記錄|记录[ji4 lu4]; (Note: In mainland China, 纪录 is preferred for the sense "record | HSK 3 |
| 紀律 | jìlǜ | discipline | HSK 4 |
| 紀念日 | jìniànrì | day of commemoration; memorial day | HSK 7-9 |
| 紀錄片 | jìlùpiàn | newsreel; documentary (film or TV program) | HSK 7-9 |
| 紀念碑 | jìniànbēi | monument | HSK 7-9 |
| 紀念館 | jìniànguǎn | memorial museum; memorial hall | HSK 7-9 |
| 紀實 | jìshí | record of actual events; documentary (factual rather than fictional) | HSK 7-9 |
| 經紀人 | jīngjìrén | broker; middleman | |
| 紀念品 | jìniànpǐn | souvenir; memento | |
| 中世紀 | zhōngshìjì | medieval; Middle Ages | |
| 經紀 | jīngjì | to manage (a business); manager |
Questions about 紀
How many strokes are in 紀?
紀 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 紀 mean?
紀 (jì) means discipline, age; period, era; record, annal. A common word with it is 世纪 (shìjì), meaning "century".
How do you pronounce 紀?
紀 is pronounced jì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 紀?
The radical of 紀 is 糹, which carries the idea of "silk". Dictionaries list 紀 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 紀?
紀 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 纪, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Should I write 纪录 or 记录 for a record?
In mainland usage, 纪录 is preferred for a record that has been set, like a sports or world record, and for 纪录片 (documentary). 记录 is used for the act of writing something down, or for notes and minutes.
Is 年纪 the same as 年龄 for age?
Both mean age. 年纪 is more conversational and is often used when asking older people their age politely, as in 您多大年纪了？ 年龄 sounds more formal and appears on forms and in statistics.