祈 qí — implore; pray; please
人们点起蜡烛，为亲人祈福。Rén men diǎn qǐ là zhú, wèi qīn rén qí fú.People light candles to pray for blessings for their loved ones.
Common words: 祈祷 (qí dǎo)、祈求 (qí qiú)、祈望 (qí wàng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "pray"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "pray", including 祈 (qí), 祷 (dǎo). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "pray" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 祈 (qí), 祷 (dǎo) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span qí, dǎo — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 祈 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 祈 qíimplore; pray; pleaseUseful words: 祈祷, 祈求
- 祷 dǎoprayer; pray; supplicationUseful words: 祈祷, 祷文
Common words for these 2 "pray" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 祈 (qí) — so "pray" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "pray".
祷 dǎo — prayer; pray; supplication
人们在庙里虔诚地祈祷。Rén men zài miào lǐ qián chéng de qí dǎo.People pray devoutly in the temple.
Common words: 祈祷 (qí dǎo)、祷文 (dǎo wén)、代祷 (dài dǎo)
All 2 characters
Open 祈、祷 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.