棋

qí
#2,085 most
frequent character
chess
noun
Measure words:盘 pán

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.
他是一个下棋的高手。
tāshì yígè xiàqí de gāoshǒu 。
He is a chess expert.
我们每个星期六都一起下棋。
wǒmen měi gè xīngqīliù dū yīqǐ xiàqí 。
We play chess together every Saturday.

Same Characters, Different Readings

棋qí
chess
棋qí
chess

Words with similar meanings

象棋xiàngqí
Chinese chess
象棋 is a specific type of chess played in China, different from the international version.
围棋wéiqí
Go
围棋 is another board game that shares some strategic aspects with chess but has 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
奇qí
strange, odd, weird, wonderful

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