棋

棊
qí
#2,085 most
frequent character
chess
noun

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

棋 qí joins 木, wood, with 其 qí. A wooden piece gives the first meaning, 'chess piece'. From there it grew to 'game piece' and 'chess or a chess-like game'. 其 qí supplies the sound.

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Example Sentences

我喜欢下棋。
wǒ xǐhuān xiàqí 。
I like to play chess.
他是一个很好的棋手。
tāshì yígè hěnhǎo de qíshǒu 。
He is a very good chess player.
我们可以在公园里下棋。
wǒmen kěyǐ zài gōngyuán lǐ xiàqí 。
We can play chess in the park.

Same Characters, Different Readings

棋qí
chess
棋qí
chess

Words with similar meanings

象棋xiàngqí
Chinese chess
This is another type of chess that is popular in China, differing in rules and pieces compared to Western chess.
围棋wéiqí
Go
Go is a board game that is considered a more complex strategic game than chess, with different rules and gameplay.

Homophones

HSK 3
骑qí
to ride (an animal or bike)
齐qí
together, uniform, neat, be level with
其qí
his, her, its, their, he, she, it
棋qí
chess
奇qí
strange, odd, weird, wonderful

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