奇 qí / jī — odd (Num); strange; odd; weird; wonderful
大自然真是奇妙。Dà zì rán zhēn shì qí miào.Nature is truly wonderful.
Common words: 奇怪 (qí guài)、好奇 (hào qí)、神奇 (shén qí)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "strange"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "strange", including 奇 (qí / jī), 异 (yì). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "strange" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 奇 (qí / jī), 异 (yì) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span qí, jī, yì — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 奇 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 奇 qí / jīodd (Num); strange; odd; weird; wonderfulUseful words: 奇怪, 好奇
- 异 yì(interj.); raise; to stop; different; unusual; strangeUseful words: 异常, 差异
Common words for these 2 "strange" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 奇 (qí / jī) — so "strange" 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 "strange".
异 yì — (interj.); raise; to stop; different; unusual; strange
他对异国的文化很感兴趣。Tā duì yì guó de wén huà hěn gǎn xìng qù.He is very interested in the culture of foreign countries.
Common words: 异常 (yì cháng)、差异 (chā yì)、优异 (yōu yì)
All 2 characters
Open 奇、异 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.