起 meaning in English

qǐ

to rise; to raise

HSK 1verb10 strokes

Meaning of 起

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

qǐ

to rise
to raise
to get up
to set out
to start
to appear
to launch
to initiate (action)

How to use 起

起 often appears in compounds about rising or starting, like 起床 (qǐchuáng, to get out of bed) and 起飞 (qǐfēi, to take off). It also follows verbs to show an action starting or coming to mind, as in 想起 (xiǎngqǐ, to recall). Example: 我每天七点起床。(Wǒ měitiān qī diǎn qǐchuáng.) I get up at seven every day.

起 (qǐ) has 走 (zǒu, to walk) on the left and 己 (jǐ, self) on the right. Picture yourself getting up and starting to walk, which is what 起 means: to rise and set out.

Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 已 (yǐ) or 巳 (sì) instead of 己 (jǐ). In 起 the top-left of 己 stays open, and the hook at the bottom should not close up. Also, in 对不起 (duìbuqǐ) and 起来 (qǐlai) the syllable is often said lightly, but 起 itself is third tone.

起 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

我wǒ认rèn为wéi我wǒ们men要yào一yì起qǐ做zuò。

I thought we were going to do this together.

他tā想xiǎng和hé我wǒ们men一yì起qǐ来lái。

He wants to come with us.

我wǒ只zhǐ想xiǎng和hé你nǐ在zài一yì起qǐ。

I just want to be with you.

我wǒ想xiǎng让ràng我wǒ们men一yì起qǐ做zuò。

I want us to do it together.

你nǐ想xiǎng和hé我wǒ们men一yì起qǐ吃chī吗ma？

Would you like to eat with us?

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

起 qǐ · to rise · 10 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 起.

一起	yīqǐ	(in) the same place; together; in company (with)
起来	qǐlái	to stand up; to get up; also pr. [qi3lai2]
对不起	duìbuqǐ	I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint
起床	qǐchuáng	to get out of bed; to get up
想起	xiǎngqǐ	to recall; to think of
起飞	qǐfēi	(of an aircraft or rocket) to take off; to lift off; (fig.) (of an enterprise etc) to star
看起来	kàn qǐlái	seemingly; apparently; looks as if; appears to be; gives the impression that; seems on the
了不起	liǎobuqǐ	amazing; terrific
引起	yǐnqǐ	to give rise to; to lead to; to cause; to arouse
看不起	kànbuqǐ	to look down upon; to despise
提起	tíqǐ	to mention; to bring up; (lit. and fig.) to lift; to raise
起码	qǐmǎ	at the minimum; at the very least

Questions about 起

What does 起 mean?

起 (qǐ) means "to rise; to raise" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 起?

起 is made of 1 character: 起 (10 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.

Is 起 an HSK word?

Yes. 起 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

What is the difference between 起 and 起来?

起 alone is mostly used in fixed words like 起床 or 起飞. 起来 (qǐlái) works on its own as 'to stand up' or 'to get up', and after a verb it shows an action beginning, as in 笑起来 (xiào qǐlái, to start laughing).

Why does 对不起 mean sorry?

对不起 (duìbuqǐ) literally suggests 'unable to face someone worthily', so it expresses apology. You use it to say sorry or excuse me, and it can also mean to let someone down.