Pinyin Syllable
Chinese characters pronounced qi
Learn common Chinese characters pronounced qi, including 起 qǐ, 其 qí, 气 qì, 期 qī, 器 qì. Compare tones, meanings, traditional forms, words…
How to Pronounce This Syllable
qi has the same tongue position as ji but with a clear puff of air; it is not the “k” of English. The i is a clear “ee”.
Initial q
Like j, but aspirated.
Final i
After zh, ch, sh, r, z, c, s, this i is not the clear “ee” in see.
Study Tip
Start with the most common characters (起 qǐ, 其 qí, 气 qì, 期 qī, 器 qì) and lock in their tones. 29 common characters share the sound qi, so lean on words to tell the rest apart.
Learn by Tone
qi turns up here with 4 different tones; a change of tone usually means a different character, so the groups below are split by tone.
1st tone
Taking the 1st tone here: 期, 七, 妻… (10 in total). Lock this tone in your ear before the meaning.
2nd tone
Taking the 2nd tone here: 其, 奇, 齐… (8 in total). Lock this tone in your ear before the meaning.
3rd tone
Taking the 3rd tone here: 起, 企, 启… (5 in total). Lock this tone in your ear before the meaning.
4th tone
Taking the 4th tone here: 气, 器, 弃… (6 in total). Lock this tone in your ear before the meaning.
Common Words With This Sound
Seeing qi inside whole words makes it clear which character is meant — here are common ones.
Characters
29 common characters in this group.