忌 (jì) is a Chinese character meaning “to avoid”. It is written from 己 (oneself) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to avoid; taboo”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
己 + 心
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 忌，憎惡也。从心己聲；对照 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 现代字形（笔画 0–2 为 己，笔画 3–6 为 心）
Memory aid
Yourself (己) sitting on top of a heart (心): the thing your own heart warns you to stay away from — so you avoid it.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 忌讳jì huìtaboo; to avoid as taboo忌 = jì
- 禁忌jìn jìtaboo; contraindication; something forbidden忌 = jì
- 妒忌dù jìto envy; to be jealous of忌 = jì
Go deeper
All readings
to avoid; taboo
to avoid; to shun; to give up (a habit); a taboo; to be jealous of
因为顾虑或风俗而避开、戒掉；也指妒忌。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 忌讳jì huìtaboo; to avoid as taboo忌 = jì
- 禁忌jìn jìtaboo; contraindication; something forbidden忌 = jì
- 妒忌dù jìto envy; to be jealous of忌 = jì
Sound component
己 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 忌 mean?
忌 (jì) means to avoid; to shun; to give up (a habit); a taboo; to be jealous of.
How do you pronounce 忌?
It is pronounced jì.
What parts is 忌 made of?
己 (oneself) and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 忌，憎惡也。从心己聲；对照 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 现代字形（笔画 0–2 为 己，笔画 3–6 为 心）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 忌 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 忌?
心. 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 忌?
Common ones are 忌讳 and 禁忌. The reading of 忌 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.