几 jǐ — small table; almost · English

几

jǐ

small table; almost

At a glance · 几

Listen

Audio is synthesized in your browser: Mandarin for the character and Shuowen text, native voices for every translation. No downloads.

Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

甲骨文、金文象古人席地而坐时的小案几之形，象形。隶楷作「几」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「几」本指矮小的凭几，引申为将近、疑问。

Structure

象形字，象小几之形。

At a glance

Pinyinjǐ

Radical几

Strokes2

UnicodeU+51E0

Character type象形

Theme器物

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English small table; almost A small table; almost, nearly.

Français petite table; presque Une petite table; presque, à peu près.

Español mesa baja; casi Una mesa baja; casi, aproximadamente.

العربية مائدة صغيرة؛ تقريبًا طاولة صغيرة أو تقريبًا.

Русский низкий столик; почти Низкий столик; почти, едва не.

Common words

几jǐhow many
几乎jī hūalmost

◉ Listen