Meaning of 几
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- how many; how much
- several; a few
- small table
- (literary) almost
How to use 几
As jǐ, it asks 'how many' when you expect a small number, usually under ten, and it needs a measure word after it. In statements it means 'a few', as in 几天 (jǐ tiān) several days. Example: 你有几个孩子？(Nǐ yǒu jǐ ge háizi?) How many children do you have?
几 looks like a small low table with two legs, which is one of its real meanings, jī (small table). Picture someone counting a few cups on that little table and asking 几个 (jǐ ge), how many.
Common mistake: Learners often read 几乎 (jīhū, almost) with third tone as jǐhū, but here it is first tone jī. Also do not confuse 几 with 九 (jiǔ, nine) or 凡 (fán), which look similar but have different strokes inside or on top.
几 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.
几 jǐ · how many · 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
Related words
Words that share a character with 几.
| 几乎 | jīhū | almost; nearly; practically |
| 几率 | jīlǜ | probability; odds |
| 寥寥无几 | liáoliáo-wújǐ | (idiom) very few |
| 几个 | jǐge | a few; several |
| 几天 | jǐtiān | several days |
| 几年 | jǐnián | a few years; several years; how many years? |
| 几次 | jǐcì | several times |
| 几点 | jǐdiǎn | what time?; when? |
| 几岁 | jǐsuì | how old are you? (familiar, or to a child) |
| 几时 | jǐshí | at what time?; when? |
| 好几年 | hǎojǐnián | several years |
| 几号 | jǐhào | (slang) heroin |
Questions about 几
What does 几 mean?
几 (jǐ) means "how many; how much; several; a few" and is used as a numeral and pronoun.
How do you write 几?
几 is made of 1 character: 几 (2 strokes). That is 2 strokes in total.
Is 几 an HSK word?
Yes. 几 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 几 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 几 is written 幾.
What is the difference between 几 and 多少 for asking how many?
几 is used when you expect a small number, roughly under ten, and it must take a measure word, as in 几个人. 多少 (duōshao) works for any number and the measure word is optional, as in 多少钱.
Can 几 mean 'a few' instead of asking a question?
Yes. In a statement, 几 means 'a few' or 'several', for example 我买了几本书 (Wǒ mǎi le jǐ běn shū), I bought a few books. Context and intonation tell you whether it is a question.