脐 (qí) is a Chinese character meaning “navel”. It is written from 月 (moon; month) and 齐 (even; neat; all together), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “navel”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
月 + 齐
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–3 为「月」（撇、横折钩、横、横），笔画 4–9 为「齐」，合计 10 笔
Memory aid
The left 月 is the body-part sign, and 齐 (qí) on the right gives the sound qí exactly. A body part pronounced qí: the navel.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 肚脐dù qínavel; belly button脐 = qí
- 脐带qí dàiumbilical cord脐 = qí
Go deeper
All readings
navel
navel; belly button; umbilicus
肚脐，腹部中央脐带脱落后留下的地方。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 肚脐dù qínavel; belly button脐 = qí
- 脐带qí dàiumbilical cord脐 = qí
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 脐 mean?
脐 (qí) means navel; belly button; umbilicus.
How do you pronounce 脐?
It is pronounced qí.
What parts is 脐 made of?
月 (moon; month) and 齐 (even; neat; all together), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–3 为「月」（撇、横折钩、横、横），笔画 4–9 为「齐」，合计 10 笔. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 脐 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 脐?
肉. 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 脐?
Common ones are 肚脐 and 脐带. The reading of 脐 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.