气 (qì) means gas; air; smell; weather. Simplified form has 4 strokes under radical 气.
Do NOT use 气 in a Chinese personal name! In everyday Mandarin, 气 primarily means 'air, gas, smell, or anger' (生气), never a fashionable name character.
⚠️ High Risk! While Westerners think of martial-arts 'Qi life force', Chinese readers seeing standalone 气 immediately think of 'gas/steam/anger'. Traditional 氣 in a calligraphy context like 正气 (noble spirit) or 浩然之气 is essential if used.
Origin & Visual Logic: Three rising horizontal wisps representing breath, vapor, and flowing vital atmosphere; traditional 氣 incorporates rice (米) beneath.
| Traditional / Simplified | Pinyin | CC-CEDICT Definitions |
|---|---|---|
| 氣 / 气 | qì | gas; air; smell; weather |
Lexical entries derived from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Make Me a Hanzi (APL / LGPL-3.0).
| Chinese Word | Pinyin | English Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 勇气 | yǒngqì | courage | |
| 朝气 | zhāoqì | youthful vitality | |
| 和气 | héqi | amiable and gentle |
"气" has 4 strokes in Simplified Chinese (Traditional form: 氣). Its primary dictionary radical is 气, and you can animate or practice writing every stroke in order using the interactive grid on this page.
Rating: Use with Caution (Neutral / Surname). Do NOT use 气 in a Chinese personal name! In everyday Mandarin, 气 primarily means 'air, gas, smell, or anger' (生气), never a fashionable name character.
Tattoo rating: Caution Alone. ⚠️ High Risk! While Westerners think of martial-arts 'Qi life force', Chinese readers seeing standalone 气 immediately think of 'gas/steam/anger'. Traditional 氣 in a calligraphy context like 正气 (noble spirit) or 浩然之气 is essential if used.
