肌 (jī) is a Chinese character meaning “muscle”. It is written from 月 (moon; month) and 几 (small table; how many), side by side, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “muscle”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
月 + 几
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·肉部（肌，肉也。从肉几聲）；现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 核验：6 画 = 月 4 画 + 几 2 画
Memory aid
月 on the left, 几 on the right. 几 is already pronounced jī, so it hands you the sound for free — 肌, the muscle on your body.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 肌肉jī ròumuscle肌 = jī
- 心肌xīn jīheart muscle; myocardium肌 = jī
Go deeper
All readings
muscle
muscle; muscular tissue; flesh of the body
人或动物身上的肌肉组织，也指皮肤下的肉。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 肌肉jī ròumuscle肌 = jī
- 心肌xīn jīheart muscle; myocardium肌 = jī
Sound component
几 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 肌 mean?
肌 (jī) means muscle; muscular tissue; flesh of the body.
How do you pronounce 肌?
It is pronounced jī.
What parts is 肌 made of?
月 (moon; month) and 几 (small table; how many), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·肉部（肌，肉也。从肉几聲）；现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 核验：6 画 = 月 4 画 + 几 2 画. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 肌 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 肌?
月. 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 肌?
Common ones are 肌肉 and 心肌. The reading of 肌 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.