Learn a Chinese Character - 寄

1. Character Basics

Radical: 宀 (mián radical, "roof" radical)

Stroke Count: 11

Stroke Order:

2. Pronunciation

Pinyin: jì

3. Meaning

to send, to mail, to post, to entrust, to lodge, to depend on, to寄托

4. Common Words

• 寄信 (jì xìn) - to send a letter, to mail a letter
• 邮寄 (yóu jì) - to mail, to post
• 寄存 (jì cún) - to deposit, to check, to leave in someone's care
• 寄托 (jì tuō) - to place hope on, to entrust, to repose
• 寄养 (jì yǎng) - to foster, to have someone else raise (a child)
• 寄居 (jì jū) - to live away from home, to lodge with someone

5. Grammar & Usage

1. Used as a verb meaning "to send" or "to entrust"

2. Often used in the structure "寄...给..." (jì...gěi...) meaning "to send...to..."

3. Can be used with both tangible items (letters, packages) and intangible things (hopes, feelings)

4. In modern Chinese, commonly used in contexts related to communication, transportation, and care

6. Cultural Background

The character 寄 has been used in Chinese writing for thousands of years. In ancient China, sending letters was an important means of communication, especially for people separated by long distances. The character's radical 宀 (roof) and the bottom part 奇 (strange) together convey the idea of "sending something from one roof to another". Today, with the development of modern communication technology, 寄 is still widely used in various contexts related to sending and entrusting.

7. Example Sentence

8. Memory Tips

The character 寄 has 11 strokes. It consists of the 宀 (roof) radical on the top and 奇 (strange) at the bottom. You can remember it by thinking of "sending something from under one roof to another" - which connects to its meanings of sending, mailing, and entrusting. The roof radical also relates to the idea of a place where something is sent from or received.