继 (jì) is a Chinese character meaning “to continue”. It is written from 纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and ㇄ (vertical turning stroke) and 米 (rice (uncooked grains)), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to continue”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
纟 + ㇄ + 米
Left–right structure
- 纟 silk; thread (left-side form) · sī unknown
- ㇄ vertical turning stroke unknown
- 米 rice (uncooked grains) · mǐ unknown
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph stroke inspection (左 纟 笔0–2；右 米 笔3–8 + 竖折 ㇄ 笔9 包于左下)
Memory aid
A thread (纟) strings grains of rice (米) along, and a corner stroke (㇄) holds them so the line keeps going — to continue.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 继续jì xùto continue; to go on继 = jì
- 继承jì chéngto inherit; to carry on (a legacy)继 = jì
Go deeper
All readings
to continue; to succeed
to continue; to carry on; to succeed to; to follow after
接续，连续下去；承接前人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 继续jì xùto continue; to go on继 = jì
- 继承jì chéngto inherit; to carry on (a legacy)继 = jì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 继 mean?
继 (jì) means to continue; to carry on; to succeed to; to follow after.
How do you pronounce 继?
It is pronounced jì.
What parts is 继 made of?
纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and ㇄ (vertical turning stroke) and 米 (rice (uncooked grains)), side by side. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph stroke inspection (左 纟 笔0–2；右 米 笔3–8 + 竖折 ㇄ 笔9 包于左下). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 继 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 继?
纟. 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 继?
Common ones are 继续 and 继承. The reading of 继 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.