奇 (qí) is a Chinese character meaning “strange”. It is written from 大 (big) and 可 (can; may; approve), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes. It has a second reading, jī, which turns up in 奇数 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “strange”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
大 + 可
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：奇，異也。一曰不耦。从大从可；现代字形拆分经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数核验（大3+可5=8）
Memory aid
Something big (大) sitting on top of "can" (可): so big you can hardly believe it — that's strange.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 奇怪qí guàistrange; odd; to find it strange奇 = qí
- 奇异qí yìstrange; odd; exotic奇 = qí
- 奇迹qí jìmiracle; a wonder奇 = qí
- 神奇shén qímagical; miraculous; amazing奇 = qí
Go deeper
All readings
strange
strange; odd; unusual; rare; wonderful; to be surprised at
跟平常不一样的；罕见的、让人惊讶的。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 奇怪qí guàistrange; odd; to find it strange奇 = qí
- 奇异qí yìstrange; odd; exotic奇 = qí
- 奇迹qí jìmiracle; a wonder奇 = qí
- 神奇shén qímagical; miraculous; amazing奇 = qí
odd (number)
odd (of numbers); not even; leftover, remainder
单数的；不成双的。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 奇数jī shùodd number奇 = jī
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 奇 mean?
奇 (qí) means strange; odd; unusual; rare; wonderful; to be surprised at.
How do you pronounce 奇?
Its main reading is qí. It also has a second reading, jī, which only shows up in certain words such as 奇数 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 奇 sometimes pronounced jī?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 奇数 it is read jī.
What parts is 奇 made of?
大 (big) and 可 (can; may; approve), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：奇，異也。一曰不耦。从大从可；现代字形拆分经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数核验（大3+可5=8）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 奇 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 奇?
大. 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 奇?
Common ones are 奇怪 and 奇异. The reading of 奇 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.