寂 (jì) is a Chinese character meaning “quiet”. It is written from 宀 (roof) and 叔 (uncle (father's younger brother)), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “quiet; lonely”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
宀 + 叔
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: cjkvi-ids ⿱宀叔；makemeahanzi：形声，宀为形符、叔为声符（构建期数据，笔画已对照 hanzi-writer-data 核验）
Memory aid
Under the roof (宀), your uncle (叔) sits alone after everyone has left — the house is still and silent.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 寂静jì jìngquiet; still; silent寂 = jì
- 寂寞jì mòlonely; lonesome寂 = jì
Go deeper
All readings
quiet; lonely
quiet; still; silent; lonely; desolate
没有声音，很安静；也指孤单、冷清。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 寂静jì jìngquiet; still; silent寂 = jì
- 寂寞jì mòlonely; lonesome寂 = jì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 寂 mean?
寂 (jì) means quiet; still; silent; lonely; desolate.
How do you pronounce 寂?
It is pronounced jì.
What parts is 寂 made of?
宀 (roof) and 叔 (uncle (father's younger brother)), one above the other. The recorded source is: cjkvi-ids ⿱宀叔；makemeahanzi：形声，宀为形符、叔为声符（构建期数据，笔画已对照 hanzi-writer-data 核验）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 寂 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 寂?
宀. 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 寂?
Common ones are 寂静 and 寂寞. The reading of 寂 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.