奇qí

奇

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Simplified · Today

简体

Simplified Chinese

Simplified 奇 (qí, "strange, wonderful") retains the same form as its traditional counterpart. In oracle bone inscriptions, the character depicted a person with a twisted or bent leg — a striking visual that captured the sense of something abnormal or unusual, giving rise to its meanings of "odd," "strange," and "remarkable." It serves as a component in 奇怪 (strange), 奇妙 (wonderful), 奇迹 (miracle), and 奇特 (peculiar).

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Shuowen

奇 is composed of the pictogram of a person (大) with a foot (𠂉), representing an unusual or deformed foot, which gave rise to the meaning “odd, strange” by suggesting something out of the ordinary. The character captures the idea of an exceptional or remarkable person, which is why it is written with 大 and 𠂉.

Pinyin

qí· HSK 2

奇qí

Character evolution

Shuowen

Pinyin