祭 (jì) is a Chinese character meaning “to offer sacrifices (to gods or ancestors)”. It is written from ⺼ (meat (side form of 肉)) and 又 (again) and 示 (altar; to show, to indicate), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to offer sacrifice”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
⺼ + 又 + 示
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 祭，祭祀也。从示，以手持肉。＋ hanzi-writer-data 笔画分组核验（上左 ⺼[0-3]，上右 又[4-5]，下 示[6-10]）
Memory aid
A piece of meat (⺼) held in a hand (又), set above an altar (示): making an offering.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 祭祀jì sìto offer sacrifices to gods or ancestors祭 = jì
- 祭拜jì bàito worship; to pay respects to (ancestors or the dead)祭 = jì
Go deeper
All readings
to offer sacrifice
to offer sacrifices (to gods or ancestors); to hold a memorial ceremony for
备供品向神灵或祖先行礼；对死者表示追悼、敬意。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 祭祀jì sìto offer sacrifices to gods or ancestors祭 = jì
- 祭拜jì bàito worship; to pay respects to (ancestors or the dead)祭 = jì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 祭 mean?
祭 (jì) means to offer sacrifices (to gods or ancestors); to hold a memorial ceremony for.
How do you pronounce 祭?
It is pronounced jì.
What parts is 祭 made of?
⺼ (meat (side form of 肉)) and 又 (again) and 示 (altar; to show, to indicate), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 祭，祭祀也。从示，以手持肉。＋ hanzi-writer-data 笔画分组核验（上左 ⺼[0-3]，上右 又[4-5]，下 示[6-10]）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 祭 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 祭?
示. 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 祭?
Common ones are 祭祀 and 祭拜. The reading of 祭 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.