To be odd, uneven, or unpaired — one of a kind.
Strange, surprising, wonderful, or extraordinary. 大 (big) over 可 (can) — so big you can hardly believe it.
奇
Common Usage & Traps
- 奇怪 — strange, odd
- 好奇 — curious
- 奇妙 — wonderful, marvelous
- 出奇 — unusually, extraordinarily
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很奇很奇怪奇 needs another character to form an everyday word and cannot stand alone as an adjective. It must combine with another character, as in 奇怪.
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奇事奇怪的事奇事 is literary and not part of everyday HSK 3 vocabulary. Use the common pattern 奇怪的事 instead.
What is the difference between 奇 and 骑?
奇 means 'strange' or 'wonderful', while 骑 means 'to ride'.
Both characters are pronounced qí, but they are completely different words. 奇 relates to unusualness and appears in words like 奇怪 and 好奇. 骑 contains the horse radical 马 and means 'to ride', as in 骑马 (ride a horse). They are never interchangeable.
| Dimension | 奇 | 骑 |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | strange, wonderful | to ride |
| Radical | 大 (person) | 马 (horse) |
| Example | 奇怪 (strange) | 骑马 (ride a horse) |
Can 奇 be used alone to mean 'strange'?
No, 奇 is almost always used in combination with another character.
In modern Mandarin, 奇 cannot stand alone as a complete word, meaning it cannot stand alone as a word. It must combine with another character to form a complete word, such as 奇怪 (strange) or 好奇 (curious). Using 奇 by itself as an adjective sounds incomplete and unnatural.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Usage | 这个很奇怪。 | 这个很奇。 |
| Reason | 奇怪 is a complete word | 奇 alone is not a word |
Appears in Stories 3 stories
Follow Xiao Li as he copes with the effects of forest fires near his home in the US and reflects on environmental changes. A thoughtful story for HSK 4 learners.
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可是今年很 奇怪 ，天上很少有云，也很少下雨，一直非常热。
Ever wondered where old Beijing's tea-drinking culture has gone? Follow a visitor discovering why locals now avoid famous tea houses—and practice expressing surprise and comparisons in Chinese along the way.
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太 奇怪 了！
Discover how a simple letter from a cookie seller led to an unexpected friendship with a famous scholar. This heartwarming story explores kindness and connection across social divides.
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““我还可以说，我们这个地方，有一个卖饼干的，每天在街上叫卖饼干，但他还愿意关心国家大事，关心英美的政治制度，希望国家能走上正确的道路──只这件 奇事 ，已够使我乐观，使我高兴了。
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