契 (qì) is a Chinese character meaning “contract”. It is written from 㓞 (to cut notches with a knife) and 大 (big), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “contract; agreement”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
㓞 + 大
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：契，大約也。从大从㓞（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 1–6 与 㓞 逐笔对应，笔画 7–9 为 大）
Memory aid
㓞 is a knife cutting notches into a tally stick; 大 means big. A big notched tally, split so each side keeps a half — that is a contract.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 契约qì yuēcontract; covenant契 = qì
- 默契mò qìtacit understanding; rapport契 = qì
Go deeper
All readings
contract; agreement
contract; deed; agreement; to fit together; to match
双方订立的凭证或约定；也指彼此相合、投合。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 契约qì yuēcontract; covenant契 = qì
- 默契mò qìtacit understanding; rapport契 = qì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 契 mean?
契 (qì) means contract; deed; agreement; to fit together; to match.
How do you pronounce 契?
It is pronounced qì.
What parts is 契 made of?
㓞 (to cut notches with a knife) and 大 (big), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：契，大約也。从大从㓞（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 1–6 与 㓞 逐笔对应，笔画 7–9 为 大）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 契 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 契?
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 契?
Common ones are 契约 and 默契. The reading of 契 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.