Meaning of 其
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- his
- her
- its
- their
- that
- such
- it (refers to sth preceding it)
How to use 其
On its own, 其 is formal and written, meaning 'his, her, its, their' or 'that'. In everyday speech you mostly meet it inside common words like 其他 (qítā), 其实 (qíshí) and 其中 (qízhōng). Example: 我其实不想去。(Wǒ qíshí bù xiǎng qù.) Actually, I don't want to go.
其 looks like a woven basket on a stand: a frame with crossing lines on top and two little legs below. Think of it as a basket that holds 'that thing' you just mentioned, so it points back to something already said.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 其 with 甚 (shèn) or 基 (jī), which contain 其 as a part. 基 adds 土 at the bottom, and 甚 has a different inner structure, so check the bottom carefully.
其 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
其 qí · his · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 其.
| 其他 | qítā | other; (sth or sb) else |
| 其中 | qízhōng | among; in |
| 其实 | qíshí | actually; in fact; really |
| 其次 | qícì | next; secondly |
| 其余 | qíyú | the rest; the others |
| 极其 | jíqí | extremely |
| 尤其 | yóuqí | especially; particularly |
| 及其 | jí qí | (conjunction linking two nouns) and its ...; and their ...; and his ...; and her ... |
| 莫名其妙 | mòmíngqímiào | (idiom) baffling; bizarre; without rhyme or reason; inexplicable |
| 与其 | yǔqí | rather than... (used in expressions of the form 與其|与其[yu3 qi2] + {verb1} + 不如[bu4 ru2] + { |
| 顺其自然 | shùnqízìrán | to let nature take its course (idiom) |
| 名副其实 | míngfùqíshí | not just in name only, but also in reality (idiom); aptly named |
Questions about 其
What does 其 mean?
其 (qí) means "his; her" and is used as a pronoun.
How do you write 其?
其 is made of 1 character: 其 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 其 an HSK word?
Yes. 其 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can I use 其 instead of 他 or 她 in speech?
Usually not. 其 sounds bookish when used alone, so in conversation say 他的 (tā de) or 那个 (nàge). Save standalone 其 for formal writing, news and set phrases like 各尽其能 (gè jìn qí néng).
What is the difference between 其他 and 其余?
Both can mean 'the others'. 其他 (qítā) is broader and often just means 'other', as in 其他人 (qítā rén). 其余 (qíyú) stresses 'the remaining ones' of a known group, as in 其余的学生 (qíyú de xuéshēng), the rest of the students.