几

幾

jī, jǐ

HSK 2.0Level 1

HSK 3.0Level 1

Definitions

jǐ (numeral) how many; how much

jǐ (numeral) several; a few

jī (adverb) almost; nearly

jī (noun) small table

Etymology

Pictograph of a small table. In simplified Chinese 几 is also used to mean "how much", while in traditional Chinese this meaning is written with a separate character 幾.

About

几 originated as a pictograph of a small, low table or stool, its form depicting a flat top supported by two curved legs. Originally it referred to this piece of furniture, used for resting objects or leaning. In simplified Chinese, 几 also substitutes for the traditional character 幾, which expresses "how many" (for small quantities) and the adjective "several" or "a few". As a result, in simplified writing 几 now carries both the concrete noun meaning and these interrogative and adjectival functions, while traditional Chinese keeps the two distinct, using 幾 for "how many"/"several" and 几 for the table.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我有几个苹果。

Wǒ yǒu jǐ gè píngguǒ.

I have a few apples.

你现在几岁了？

Nǐ xiànzài jǐ suì le?

How old are you now?

这本书几块钱？

Zhè běn shū jǐ kuài qián?

How much is this book?

他几天没来上课了。

Tā jǐ tiān méi lái shàngkè le.

He hasn't come to class for several days.

你能等我几分钟吗？

Nǐ néng děng wǒ jǐ fēnzhōng ma?

Can you wait for me for a few minutes?

我们还需要准备几样东西。

Wǒmen hái xūyào zhǔnbèi jǐ yàng dōngxi.

We still need to prepare a few things.

不管发生几件事，都要冷静。

Bùguǎn fāshēng jǐ jiàn shì, dōu yào lěngjìng.

No matter how many things happen, stay calm.

经过几次失败后，他终于成功了。

Jīngguò jǐ cì shībài hòu, tā zhōngyú chénggōng le.

After several failures, he finally succeeded.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 几

几