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起

qǐ
#75 most
frequent character
get up, start, rise
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

起 uses 走, here for leg motion, as the meaning part, and 己 jǐ as the sound part. Its first sense was 'to start a journey'. From there it grew to 'to start', 'to stand', 'to rise', 'to build', and 'to happen'.

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Example Sentences

我早上六点起床。
wǒ zǎoshàng liù diǎn qǐchuáng 。
I get up at six in the morning.
他开始起跑。
tā kāishǐ qǐpǎo 。
He starts to run.
太阳早上起了。
tàiyáng zǎoshàng qǐle 。
The sun rises in the morning.

Grammar Points

HSK 4
Direction complement "-qilai"
HSK 5
Advanced potential complements
HSK 5
Expressing "ever since" with "zicong"从…以来自从…以后+1

Words with similar meanings

开kāi
start
More general term used to indicate the beginning of an action or process, not limited to physical rising.
升shēng
rise
Specifically refers to the action of rising, such as in elevation or rank.
起床qǐchuáng
get up (from bed)
A specific phrase that refers to the act of getting out of bed, which is a common context for 起.

Homophones

企qǐ
(bound form) to stand on tiptoe and look
岂qǐ
how? (emphatic question)
启qǐ
to open, to start, to initiate

Words Starting With 起

起床qǐ chuáng
to get up
起飞qǐ fēi
to take off (in an airplane)
起来qǐ lái
beginning or continuing an action; upward movement; stand up
起义qǐ yì
uprising; insurrection; revolt
起伏qǐ fú
to move up and down; to undulate; ups and downs

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