际 meaning and stroke order
Border, boundary, juncture
How to write 际, stroke by stroke
7 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
Meaning of 际
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- border
- edge
- boundary
- interval
- between
- inter-
How 际 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hill.
阝 gives the meaning and 示 hints at the sound.
Radical: 阝 (place), shared by 160 characters on this site.
How to remember 际
The left side 阝 is a hill, and 示 (shì) on the right gives the sound. Picture a hill standing at the edge of land, marking the border where one area meets another.
际 (jì) rarely stands alone. It appears in words about edges or the space between things, like 国际 (guójì, international) and 实际 (shíjì, reality). Example: 实际上他很忙。(Shíjìshàng tā hěn máng.) In fact, he is very busy.
Common mistake: Learners often write 际 as 标 (biāo) or 际 with 木 on the left, mixing it up with 标. 际 has the hill radical 阝 on the left, while 标 has the tree radical 木.
Common words with 际
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 国际 | guójì | international | HSK 2 |
| 实际 | shíjì | reality; practice | HSK 2 |
| 实际上 | shíjìshàng | in fact; in reality | HSK 3 |
| 交际 | jiāojì | communication; social intercourse | HSK 4 |
| 星际 | xīngjì | interstellar; interplanetary | |
| 之际 | zhījì | during; at the time of | |
| 不切实际 | bùqièshíjì | unrealistic; impractical | |
| 天际 | tiānjì | horizon | |
| 人际关系 | rénjìguānxì | interpersonal relationship | |
| 国际象棋 | guójìxiàngqí | chess | |
| 洲际 | zhōujì | intercontinental |
际 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 际
How many strokes are in 际?
际 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 际 mean?
际 (jì) means border, boundary, juncture. A common word with it is 国际 (guójì), meaning "international".
How do you pronounce 际?
际 is pronounced jì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 际?
The radical of 际 is 阝, which carries the idea of "place". Dictionaries list 际 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 际?
The traditional form of 际 is 際. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 际 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 际 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 际 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
Why is 示 (shì) the sound part if 际 is read jì?
The data marks 示 as the phonetic component, but sound hints often drifted over centuries. Treat 示 as a memory cue rather than an exact pronunciation guide.
How is 之际 used in a sentence?
之际 (zhījì) means at the time of or during, and it follows the event it describes. It sounds formal, for example 新年之际 (xīnnián zhījì), at the time of the New Year.