棋 (qí) is a Chinese character meaning “chess”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 其 (his; her; its; that), side by side, and takes 12 strokes.
Build the character for “chess; board game”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
木 + 其
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：棊，博棊。从木，其声（棋为其异体）；现代字形拆分 ⿰木其 对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：木 4 画 [0–3] + 其 8 画 [4–11] = 12 画
Memory aid
A wooden (木) board with "that one" (其) piece sitting on it — it is your move in a game of 棋.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
12 strokes
In real words
- 下棋xià qíto play chess棋 = qí
- 象棋xiàng qíChinese chess (xiangqi)棋 = qí
Go deeper
All readings
chess; board game
chess; a board game such as Chinese chess or Go; a game piece
棋类游戏的统称，如象棋、围棋；也指棋子。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 下棋xià qíto play chess棋 = qí
- 象棋xiàng qíChinese chess (xiangqi)棋 = qí
Sound component
其 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 棋 mean?
棋 (qí) means chess; a board game such as Chinese chess or Go; a game piece.
How do you pronounce 棋?
It is pronounced qí.
What parts is 棋 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 其 (his; her; its; that), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：棊，博棊。从木，其声（棋为其异体）；现代字形拆分 ⿰木其 对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：木 4 画 [0–3] + 其 8 画 [4–11] = 12 画. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 棋 have?
12. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 棋?
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 棋?
Common ones are 下棋 and 象棋. The reading of 棋 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.