启 (qǐ) is a Chinese character meaning “to open”. It is written from 户 (door; household) and 口 (mouth), one enclosing the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to open; to start”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
户 + 口
Enclosing structure
Structure from: modern-glyph decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data strokes (户 = strokes 1-4, 口 = strokes 5-7)
Memory aid
A door (户) with a mouth (口) tucked beneath it — say the word and the door swings open. 启 is what you do to a door, a book, or a beginning: you open it.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 开启kāi qǐto open; to start up启 = qǐ
- 启动qǐ dòngto start up; to launch启 = qǐ
- 启迪qǐ díto enlighten; to inspire启 = qǐ
Go deeper
All readings
to open; to start
to open; to open up; to start; to initiate
打开；开始；开导。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 开启kāi qǐto open; to start up启 = qǐ
- 启动qǐ dòngto start up; to launch启 = qǐ
- 启迪qǐ díto enlighten; to inspire启 = qǐ
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 启 mean?
启 (qǐ) means to open; to open up; to start; to initiate.
How do you pronounce 启?
It is pronounced qǐ.
What parts is 启 made of?
户 (door; household) and 口 (mouth), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: modern-glyph decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data strokes (户 = strokes 1-4, 口 = strokes 5-7). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 启 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 启?
口. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 启?
Common ones are 开启 and 启动. The reading of 启 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.