起 meaning and stroke order
To rise; to raise; to get up
How to write 起, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Meaning of 起
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to rise
- to raise
- to get up
- to set out
- to start
- to appear
How 起 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Walk.
走 gives the meaning and 己 hints at the sound.
Radical: 走 (to walk), shared by 22 characters on this site.
How to remember 起
起 is pictophonetic: 走 (zǒu, walk) gives the meaning and 己 (jǐ) hints at the sound qǐ. Picture yourself, 己, getting up so you can start walking, 走.
起 means to rise or get up, and also to start something. It appears in very common words like 起床 (qǐchuáng, get out of bed), 一起 (yīqǐ, together) and 对不起 (duìbuqǐ, sorry). Example: 我七点起床。(Wǒ qī diǎn qǐchuáng.) I get up at seven.
Common mistake: Learners often write the inner part as 已 (yǐ) or 巳 (sì) instead of 己, so make sure the top stroke of 己 does not close. In words like 对不起 and 了不起, 起 is usually said in the neutral tone, not a full third tone.
Common words with 起
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一起 | yīqǐ | (in) the same place; together; in company (with) | HSK 1 |
| 起来 | qǐlái | to stand up; to get up; also pr. [qi3lai2] | HSK 1 |
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint | HSK 1 |
| 起床 | qǐchuáng | to get out of bed; to get up | HSK 1 |
| 想起 | xiǎngqǐ | to recall; to think of | HSK 2 |
| 起飞 | qǐfēi | (of an aircraft or rocket) to take off; to lift off; (fig.) (of an enterprise etc) to star | HSK 2 |
| 看起来 | kàn qǐlái | seemingly; apparently; looks as if; appears to be; gives the impression that; seems on the | HSK 3 |
| 了不起 | liǎobuqǐ | amazing; terrific | HSK 4 |
| 引起 | yǐnqǐ | to give rise to; to lead to; to cause; to arouse | HSK 4 |
| 看不起 | kànbuqǐ | to look down upon; to despise | HSK 4 |
| 提起 | tíqǐ | to mention; to bring up; (lit. and fig.) to lift; to raise | HSK 5 |
| 起码 | qǐmǎ | at the minimum; at the very least | HSK 5 |
| 起到 | qǐdào | (in an expression of the form 起到[qi3 dao4] + … + 作用[zuo4 yong4]) to have (a (motivating et | HSK 5 |
| 起诉 | qǐsù | to sue; to bring a lawsuit against | HSK 6 |
起 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 起
How many strokes are in 起?
起 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 起 mean?
起 (qǐ) means to rise; to raise; to get up. A common word with it is 一起 (yīqǐ), meaning "(in) the same place; together; in company (with)".
How do you pronounce 起?
起 is pronounced qǐ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 起?
The radical of 起 is 走, which carries the idea of "to walk". Dictionaries list 起 under this radical.
Is 起 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 起 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
What is the difference between 起来 and 起床?
起床 means specifically to get out of bed. 起来 is broader and means to stand up or get up from any position. It also follows verbs to show a start or an impression, as in 看起来 (kàn qǐlái, it looks like).
Why does 起 appear in 对不起?
In 对不起 the pattern verb + 不起 means unable to do something. Literally it is like being unable to face someone properly, so it came to mean I'm sorry. The same pattern appears in 了不起 (liǎobuqǐ, amazing).