妓 (jì) is a Chinese character meaning “a woman who works as a prostitute”. It is written from 女 (woman; female) and 支 (branch; to support), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “prostitute; female entertainer”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
女 + 支
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS 现代字形拆分，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（女 3 画 + 支 4 画 = 7 画）
Memory aid
The woman radical (女) on the left tells you this character is about a woman. 支 on the right is only the sound clue: 支 is zhī, 妓 is jì.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 妓女jì nǚprostitute妓 = jì
- 妓院jì yuànbrothel妓 = jì
Go deeper
All readings
prostitute
a woman who works as a prostitute; in older texts, a female singer or dancer who entertained guests
以卖淫为业的女子；古代也指以歌舞表演娱人的女子。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 妓女jì nǚprostitute妓 = jì
- 妓院jì yuànbrothel妓 = jì
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 妓 mean?
妓 (jì) means a woman who works as a prostitute; in older texts, a female singer or dancer who entertained guests.
How do you pronounce 妓?
It is pronounced jì.
What parts is 妓 made of?
女 (woman; female) and 支 (branch; to support), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS 现代字形拆分，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（女 3 画 + 支 4 画 = 7 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 妓 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 妓?
女. 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 妓?
Common ones are 妓女 and 妓院. The reading of 妓 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.