脊 jǐ — spine; back; ridge
我们要挺直脊背，注意坐姿。Wǒ men yào tǐng zhí jǐ bèi, zhù yì zuò zī.We should keep our backs straight and mind our posture.
Common words: 脊梁 (jǐ liáng)、中脊 (zhōng jǐ)、里脊 (lǐ ji)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "spine"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "spine", including 脊 (jǐ), 椎 (chuí / zhuī). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "spine" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 脊 (jǐ), 椎 (chuí / zhuī) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span jǐ, chuí, zhuī — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 脊 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 脊 jǐspine; back; ridgeUseful words: 脊梁, 中脊
- 椎 chuí / zhuīa hammer; spineUseful words: 颈椎, 椎骨
Common words for these 2 "spine" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 脊 (jǐ) — so "spine" 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 "spine".
椎 chuí / zhuī — a hammer; spine
长时间低头看手机，容易伤到颈椎。Cháng shí jiān dī tóu kàn shǒu jī, róng yì shāng dào jǐng zhuī.Looking down at your phone for a long time can easily hurt your cervical spine.
Common words: 颈椎 (jǐng zhuī)、椎骨 (zhuī gǔ)、尾椎 (wěi zhuī)
All 2 characters
Open 脊、椎 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.