The character 汽 — “steam”: how to write it and what it means

汽
qì

steam

7 strokes · HSK 3

The Chinese character 汽 is read qì and means “steam”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 汽

汽 has 7 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.

To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 汽, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 汽 is made of

On the left, 氵 “water”; on the right, 气 qì “air” gives both the meaning and the sound.

The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.

Words with 汽

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 汽?

汽 has 7 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.

What does 汽 mean?

汽 means “steam”. It appears in 汽车 (“car”), 汽水 (“soda”), 汽油 (“gasoline”).

How do you pronounce 汽?

汽 is read qì. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 汽 have?

7 strokes.

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More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.

Write 汽 yourself

In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.

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