积 (jī) is a Chinese character meaning “to accumulate”. It is written from 禾 (grain; standing grain) and 只 (only; measure word for animals), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to accumulate”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
禾 + 只
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（禾5画 + 只5画 = 10画）
Memory aid
Grain (禾) piled up beside 只 — heap the grain stalk by stalk and it accumulates.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 积极jī jípositive; active; enthusiastic积 = jīHSK 4
- 积累jī lěito accumulate; to build up积 = jīHSK 5
- 囤积tún jīto hoard; to stockpile积 = jī
- 堆积duī jīto pile up; to accumulate积 = jī
- 淤积yū jīto silt up; sedimentation积 = jī
Go deeper
All readings
to accumulate
to accumulate; to store up; long-standing; (math) product
逐渐聚集、累积；也指长期形成的。数学上指乘积。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 积极jī jípositive; active; enthusiastic积 = jīHSK 4
- 积累jī lěito accumulate; to build up积 = jīHSK 5
- 囤积tún jīto hoard; to stockpile积 = jī
- 堆积duī jīto pile up; to accumulate积 = jī
- 淤积yū jīto silt up; sedimentation积 = jī
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 积 mean?
积 (jī) means to accumulate; to store up; long-standing; (math) product.
How do you pronounce 积?
It is pronounced jī.
What parts is 积 made of?
禾 (grain; standing grain) and 只 (only; measure word for animals), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（禾5画 + 只5画 = 10画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 积 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 积?
禾. 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 积?
Common ones are 积极 and 积累. The reading of 积 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.