Meaning of 极
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- extremely
- pole (geography, physics)
- utmost
- top
How to use 极
As an adverb, 极 is a strong, slightly formal way to say extremely. In speech people often put 极了 (jí le) after an adjective. Example: 这个菜好吃极了。(Zhège cài hǎochī jí le.) This dish is extremely delicious.
极 has 木 (wood) on the left, so picture a tall wooden pole reaching the very top. The top of a pole is the utmost point, which links to 北极 (běijí) the North Pole and to the idea of extremely.
Common mistake: Learners often put 极了 before the adjective, as in 极了好. It must come after: 好极了 (hǎo jí le). Also keep the second tone in 积极 (jījí). Do not read it as jī jī.
极 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.
极 jí · extremely · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 极.
| 极了 | jí le | extremely; exceedingly |
| 积极 | jījí | active; energetic |
| 积极性 | jījíxìng | zeal; initiative |
| 极其 | jíqí | extremely |
| 北极 | běijí | the North Pole; the north magnetic pole |
| 南极 | nánjí | the South Pole; the south magnetic pole |
| 消极 | xiāojí | negative; passive |
| 极端 | jíduān | extreme |
| 极限 | jíxiàn | limit; extreme boundary |
| 极度 | jídù | extremely |
| 极为 | jíwéi | extremely; exceedingly |
| 极力 | jílì | to make a supreme effort; at all costs |
Questions about 极
What does 极 mean?
极 (jí) means "extremely; pole (geography, physics)" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 极?
极 is made of 1 character: 极 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 极 an HSK word?
Yes. 极 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 极 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 极 is written 極.
What is the difference between 极 and 极其?
Both mean extremely. 极其 (jíqí) is more formal and usually goes before two-syllable words, as in 极其重要 (jíqí zhòngyào) extremely important. Plain 极 can go before one-syllable words, as in 极好 (jí hǎo).
Why does 积极 mean active if 极 means extremely?
积极 (jījí) is a fixed word with its own meaning, active or positive. You should learn it as one unit and not try to build it from the meaning of each character. Its opposite is 消极 (xiāojí) passive or negative.