戚 (qī) is a Chinese character meaning “relative (by blood or marriage)”. It is written from 戊 (the 5th Heavenly Stem; used as the halberd-shaped frame of 戌 and 戍) and 尗 (bean (archaic); used here as the sound part), one enclosing the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “relative”
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Structure
戊 + 尗
Enclosing structure
- 戊 the 5th Heavenly Stem; used as the halberd-shaped frame of 戌 and 戍 · wù meaning
- 尗 bean (archaic); used here as the sound part · shū sound
Structure from: 说文解字: 戚，戉也。从戉尗声 (modern glyph writes the 戉 frame as 戊; split verified against hanzi-writer stroke data: 0/1/8/9/10 = 戊, 2–7 = 尗, 5+6=11)
Memory aid
The axe frame 戊 opens wide and a small bean plant 尗 grows safely inside it. The people you shelter like that are your relatives — 戚.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 亲戚qīn qirelative; relatives (family members by blood or marriage)戚 = qī
- 悲戚bēi qīgrieved; deeply sorrowful戚 = qī
Go deeper
All readings
relative
relative (by blood or marriage); sorrow, grief
亲属，因婚姻或血缘联系的人；也指忧愁、悲伤。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 亲戚qīn qirelative; relatives (family members by blood or marriage)戚 = qī
- 悲戚bēi qīgrieved; deeply sorrowful戚 = qī
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 戚 mean?
戚 (qī) means relative (by blood or marriage); sorrow, grief.
How do you pronounce 戚?
It is pronounced qī.
What parts is 戚 made of?
戊 (the 5th Heavenly Stem; used as the halberd-shaped frame of 戌 and 戍) and 尗 (bean (archaic); used here as the sound part), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 戚，戉也。从戉尗声 (modern glyph writes the 戉 frame as 戊; split verified against hanzi-writer stroke data: 0/1/8/9/10 = 戊, 2–7 = 尗, 5+6=11). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 戚 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 戚?
戈. 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 戚?
Common ones are 亲戚 and 悲戚. The reading of 戚 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.