Meaning of 吉祥
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- lucky
- auspicious
- propitious
How to use 吉祥
吉祥 describes things that bring or signal good fortune, such as symbols, numbers, colors, and holiday wishes. It is very common in festival greetings. Example: 祝你新年吉祥。(Zhù nǐ xīnnián jíxiáng.) Wishing you good fortune in the new year.
吉 (jí) means lucky, and 祥 (xiáng) has the 礻 side, which shows up in characters about blessings and the spirit world, plus 羊 (yáng, sheep), long a symbol of good things. Put good luck together with a blessing and you get 吉祥, auspicious.
Common mistake: Learners often write 祥 with the clothing side 衤 instead of the blessing side 礻. The blessing side has one dot on the right and the clothing side has two. Also keep 祥 (xiáng) apart from 详 (xiáng, detailed), which has the speech side 讠.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
吉 jí · lucky · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
祥 xiáng · happiness · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Related words
Words that share a character with 吉祥.
| 吉利 | jílì | auspicious; lucky |
| 吉他 | jítā | (loanword) guitar |
| 吉普 | jípǔ | Jeep (car brand) |
| 吉祥物 | jíxiángwù | mascot |
| 祥和 | xiánghé | auspicious and peaceful |
| 慈祥 | cíxiáng | kindly; benevolent (often of older person) |
| 不祥 | bùxiáng | ominous; inauspicious |
| 吉普车 | jípǔchē | jeep (military vehicle) (loanword) |
| 吉他手 | jítāshǒu | guitarist |
| 大吉 | dàjí | very auspicious; extremely lucky |
| 吉娃娃 | jíwáwa | Chihuahua (dog) |
| 安吉尔 | ānjí'ěr | angel (loanword) |
Questions about 吉祥
What does 吉祥 mean?
吉祥 (jíxiáng) means "lucky; auspicious" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 吉祥?
吉祥 is made of 2 characters: 吉 (6 strokes), 祥 (10 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 吉祥 an HSK word?
Yes. 吉祥 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 吉祥 and 吉利?
Both mean lucky or auspicious. 吉祥 sounds more formal and festive and often appears in written wishes and set phrases. 吉利 is more everyday and is often used for lucky numbers or for avoiding unlucky words, as in 不吉利 (bù jílì), unlucky.
Is 吉祥物 related to 吉祥?
Yes. 吉祥物 (jíxiángwù) adds 物 (wù, thing) to 吉祥, so it literally means a lucky thing. It is the normal word for a mascot, such as the mascot of the Olympics or a sports team.