期 (qī) is a Chinese character meaning “a period of time”. It is written from 其 (his; her; its; that) and 月 (moon; month), side by side, and takes 12 strokes.
Build the character for “period; appointed time”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
其 + 月
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：期，会也。从月，其声。（现代字形拆分对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：其 8 画 [0–7] + 月 4 画 [8–11] = 12 画）
Memory aid
The moon (月) comes back on schedule every month — that is a set period. 其 (qí) on the left hints at the sound: qī.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
12 strokes
In real words
- 星期xīng qīweek; day of the week期 = qīHSK 1
- 假期jià qīvacation; holiday period期 = qī
- 延期yán qīto postpone; to defer; to put off to a later date期 = qī
- 期刊qī kānperiodical; journal期 = qī
- 期盼qī pànto look forward to; to await eagerly期 = qī
- 汛期xùn qīflood season期 = qī
Go deeper
All readings
period; appointed time
a period of time; phase; stage; an appointed date; an issue (of a periodical); to hope, to expect
一段时间；约定的时间；刊物的一期；盼望。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 星期xīng qīweek; day of the week期 = qīHSK 1
- 假期jià qīvacation; holiday period期 = qī
- 延期yán qīto postpone; to defer; to put off to a later date期 = qī
- 期刊qī kānperiodical; journal期 = qī
- 期盼qī pànto look forward to; to await eagerly期 = qī
- 汛期xùn qīflood season期 = qī
Rare readings, not taught: jī
Sound component
其 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 期 mean?
期 (qī) means a period of time; phase; stage; an appointed date; an issue (of a periodical); to hope, to expect.
How do you pronounce 期?
It is pronounced qī.
What parts is 期 made of?
其 (his; her; its; that) and 月 (moon; month), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：期，会也。从月，其声。（现代字形拆分对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：其 8 画 [0–7] + 月 4 画 [8–11] = 12 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 期 have?
12. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 期?
月. 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 期?
Common ones are 星期, 假期, 延期, 期刊, 期盼. The reading of 期 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.