栖 (qī) is a Chinese character meaning “to perch (of birds)”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 西 (west), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to perch”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
木 + 西
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 0–3 笔为「木」4 画，第 4–9 笔为「西」6 画，共 10 画）
Memory aid
When the sun sinks in the west (西), a bird flies back to its tree (木) to perch for the night.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 栖息qī xīto perch; to inhabit栖 = qī
- 两栖liǎng qīamphibious栖 = qī
Go deeper
All readings
to perch; to dwell
to perch (of birds); to dwell; to stay
鸟停在树上；泛指居住、停留。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 栖息qī xīto perch; to inhabit栖 = qī
- 两栖liǎng qīamphibious栖 = qī
Sound component
西 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 栖 mean?
栖 (qī) means to perch (of birds); to dwell; to stay.
How do you pronounce 栖?
It is pronounced qī.
What parts is 栖 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 西 (west), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 0–3 笔为「木」4 画，第 4–9 笔为「西」6 画，共 10 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 栖 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 栖?
木. 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 栖?
Common ones are 栖息 and 两栖. The reading of 栖 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.