结 (jié) is a Chinese character meaning “to tie”. It is written from 纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 吉 (auspicious; lucky), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to tie; knot”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
纟 + 吉
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字（結，締也。从糸吉聲）；简化字左部为绞丝旁「纟」
Memory aid
Silk thread (纟) tied off for good luck (吉): a knot. From tying a knot come 结束 (to tie things up, finish) and 团结 (to bind together).
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 结束jié shùto end; to finish; to conclude结 = jiéHSK 3
- 结构jié gòustructure结 = jiéHSK 5
- 团结tuán jiéto unite; unity; solidarity结 = jié
- 冻结dòng jiéto freeze (liquid, or funds and plans)结 = jié
- 纠结jiū jiéto be tangled up; to be torn (over a decision)结 = jié
- 结尾jié wěiending; conclusion结 = jié
- 结局jié júending; outcome结 = jié
- 症结zhēng jiécrux; root of a problem结 = jié
- 结婚jié hūnto get married结 = jié
- 结茧jié jiǎnto spin a cocoon结 = jié
Go deeper
All readings
to tie; knot
to tie; to knot; a knot; to form or congeal; to conclude; to join together
用绳线等打结、系扎；也指凝聚、结合，以及结束、了结。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 结束jié shùto end; to finish; to conclude结 = jiéHSK 3
- 结构jié gòustructure结 = jiéHSK 5
- 团结tuán jiéto unite; unity; solidarity结 = jié
- 冻结dòng jiéto freeze (liquid, or funds and plans)结 = jié
- 纠结jiū jiéto be tangled up; to be torn (over a decision)结 = jié
- 结尾jié wěiending; conclusion结 = jié
- 结局jié júending; outcome结 = jié
- 症结zhēng jiécrux; root of a problem结 = jié
- 结婚jié hūnto get married结 = jié
- 结茧jié jiǎnto spin a cocoon结 = jié
Rare readings, not taught: jiē
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 结 mean?
结 (jié) means to tie; to knot; a knot; to form or congeal; to conclude; to join together.
How do you pronounce 结?
It is pronounced jié.
What parts is 结 made of?
纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 吉 (auspicious; lucky), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字（結，締也。从糸吉聲）；简化字左部为绞丝旁「纟」. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 结 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 结?
纟. 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 结?
Common ones are 结束, 结构, 团结. The reading of 结 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.