议 (yì) is a Chinese character meaning “to discuss”. It is written from 讠 (speech radical) and 义 (justice; meaning), side by side, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “to discuss”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
讠 + 义
Left–right structure
Structure from: Unicode U+8BAE 现代字形与 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺核验（5 画 = 讠 2 画 + 义 3 画）；繁体 議 见 说文解字·言部「議，語也。从言義聲」
Memory aid
Speech (讠) standing next to what is right (义): people talk a question over until they settle what is right — they discuss it.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 会议huì yìmeeting; conference议 = yì
- 建议jiàn yìto suggest; suggestion; proposal议 = yì
- 倡议chàng yìto propose; proposal; initiative议 = yì
Go deeper
All readings
to discuss
to discuss; to deliberate; opinion; proposal
商量、讨论；也指讨论后提出的意见或主张。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 会议huì yìmeeting; conference议 = yì
- 建议jiàn yìto suggest; suggestion; proposal议 = yì
- 倡议chàng yìto propose; proposal; initiative议 = yì
Origin
The traditional form 議 is analysed in the Shuowen Jiezi as "from 言 (speech), with 義 giving the sound" — talking a matter through. The simplified 议 keeps the same two parts: 言 written as the radical 讠, and 義 simplified to 义.
Source: 说文解字·言部：議，語也。从言義聲
Sound component
义 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 议 mean?
议 (yì) means to discuss; to deliberate; opinion; proposal.
How do you pronounce 议?
It is pronounced yì.
What parts is 议 made of?
讠 (speech radical) and 义 (justice; meaning), side by side. The recorded source is: Unicode U+8BAE 现代字形与 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺核验（5 画 = 讠 2 画 + 义 3 画）；繁体 議 见 说文解字·言部「議，語也。从言義聲」. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 议 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 议?
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 议?
Common ones are 会议 and 建议. The reading of 议 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.