字Study Chinese Characters
计

jì to count; to plan

4 strokes

计 (jì) is a Chinese character meaning “to count”. It is written from 讠 (speech radical) and 十 (ten), side by side, and takes 4 strokes.

Build the character for “to count; to plan”

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Structure

讠 + 十

Left–right structure

  • 讠 speech radical · yán meaning
  • 十 ten · shí meaning

Structure from: Unicode U+8BA1 现代字形与笔顺数据（4 画 = 讠 2 画 + 十 2 画）；繁体 計 见 说文解字·言部「計，會也。筭也。从言从十」

Memory aid

Speech (讠) next to ten (十): you say the numbers out loud as you count them up.

This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.

Stroke order

4 strokes

In real words

  • 计划jì huàplan计 = jì
  • 设计shè jìto design; design计 = jì
  • 会计kuài jìaccountant; accounting计 = jì
  • 估计gū jìto estimate; to reckon计 = jìHSK 4
  • 计较jì jiàoto fuss over; to haggle; to argue about计 = jì
  • 诡计guǐ jìtrick; ruse; crafty scheme计 = jì
Go deeper

All readings

jì main reading

to count; to plan

to count; to calculate; to reckon up; a plan or scheme; a measuring device (as in 温度计 thermometer)

核算数目；谋划、打算；也指计量的器具。 — studyhanzi 编写

Words with this reading

  • 计划jì huàplan计 = jì
  • 设计shè jìto design; design计 = jì
  • 会计kuài jìaccountant; accounting计 = jì
  • 估计gū jìto estimate; to reckon计 = jìHSK 4
  • 计较jì jiàoto fuss over; to haggle; to argue about计 = jì
  • 诡计guǐ jìtrick; ruse; crafty scheme计 = jì

Origin

The traditional form 計 is analysed in the Shuowen Jiezi as "from 言 (speech) and 十 (ten)" — reckoning something up and saying the total. The simplified 计 keeps the same two parts, with 言 written as the radical 讠.

Source: 说文解字·言部：計，會也。筭也。从言从十

Other characters with these parts

讠 → 订认讥讨让训议讯

十 → 丧什伞千卉华协卑

Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions

Questions people ask about this character

What does 计 mean?

计 (jì) means to count; to calculate; to reckon up; a plan or scheme; a measuring device (as in 温度计 thermometer).

How do you pronounce 计?

It is pronounced jì.

What parts is 计 made of?

讠 (speech radical) and 十 (ten), side by side. The recorded source is: Unicode U+8BA1 现代字形与笔顺数据（4 画 = 讠 2 画 + 十 2 画）；繁体 計 见 说文解字·言部「計，會也。筭也。从言从十」. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.

How many strokes does 计 have?

4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 计?

讠. 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 计?

Common ones are 计划 and 设计. The reading of 计 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.