鸡 is a Chinese character with 7 strokes, radical 鸟 (bird), HSK 1 on the new exam.
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
鸡 (traditional 雞 or 鷄) is a phono-semantic compound. The traditional form combines 奚 (xī) as phonetic with 隹 (short-tailed bird) or 鳥 (long-tailed bird) as semantic. Oracle bone forms show pictographic chickens with comb, beak and tail clearly drawn, sometimes alongside a cord component that became the 奚 phonetic.
Form evolution
Early oracle bone and bronze forms were more pictographic, showing a recognisable fowl. By seal script the structure had regularised into the phonetic-plus-bird compound 雞. The simplified 鸡 replaces the 奚 phonetic with the much simpler 又 (a hand, used here purely as a stroke-saving sign) and swaps 鳥 for simplified 鸟.
How the meaning evolved
The meaning chicken or domestic fowl has been stable throughout. It extended to cover related poultry concepts and appears in zodiac vocabulary as the tenth of the twelve animals. In modern colloquial Mandarin 鸡 can carry slang meanings, including a derogatory term for prostitute, which learners should be aware of when using the word in casual contexts.
Cultural note
The idiom 鸡犬不宁 (not even chickens and dogs are at peace) describes total commotion in a household. Chickens feature heavily in Chinese folk culture and cuisine, and the Rooster year 鸡年 recurs every twelve years in the zodiac cycle.
Mnemonic
A bird you can grab again — chicken
Decomposition
Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.
Basic info
| Stroke count | 7 strokes |
| Radical | 鸟 (#196: bird) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1 |
| Frequency | #1458 most common |
Example sentences
我吃鸡蛋。
Wǒ chī jīdàn.
I eat eggs.
From 鸡蛋 (HSK 1)
Words containing 鸡
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鸡蛋 | jīdàn | egg | HSK 1 |
Related characters
On the new HSK 1 exam
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Frequently Asked Questions
Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.