机 (jī) is a Chinese character meaning “machine”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 几 (small table; how many), side by side, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “machine”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
木 + 几
Left–right structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画分解核验（前四笔为木，后两笔为几，⿰木几）
Memory aid
Wood (木) next to a small table (几): a workbench made of wood — the place where a machine is put together.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 手机shǒu jīmobile phone; cellphone机 = jī
- 飞机fēi jīairplane机 = jīHSK 1
- 司机sī jīdriver机 = jī
- 伺机sì jīto watch for one's chance; to bide one's time机 = jī
- 停机坪tíng jī píngairport apron; tarmac机 = jī
- 危机wēi jīcrisis机 = jī
- 机构jī gòuorganization; institution机 = jīHSK 5
- 机械jī xièmachinery; mechanical机 = jī
- 洗衣机xǐ yī jīwashing machine机 = jī
- 趁机chèn jīto seize the chance; to take the opportunity机 = jī
Go deeper
All readings
machine
machine; engine; aircraft; opportunity; crucial point
机器；也指飞机、时机或事情的关键。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 手机shǒu jīmobile phone; cellphone机 = jī
- 飞机fēi jīairplane机 = jīHSK 1
- 司机sī jīdriver机 = jī
- 伺机sì jīto watch for one's chance; to bide one's time机 = jī
- 停机坪tíng jī píngairport apron; tarmac机 = jī
- 危机wēi jīcrisis机 = jī
- 机构jī gòuorganization; institution机 = jīHSK 5
- 机械jī xièmachinery; mechanical机 = jī
- 洗衣机xǐ yī jīwashing machine机 = jī
- 趁机chèn jīto seize the chance; to take the opportunity机 = jī
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 机 mean?
机 (jī) means machine; engine; aircraft; opportunity; crucial point.
How do you pronounce 机?
It is pronounced jī.
What parts is 机 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 几 (small table; how many), side by side. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画分解核验（前四笔为木，后两笔为几，⿰木几）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 机 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 机?
木. 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 机?
Common ones are 手机, 飞机, 司机. The reading of 机 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.