契

Tap the pinyin to hear it

to carve; carved words; to agree; a contract; a deed

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Ideographic compound (会意字)

A contract signed by cutting 刀 notches 丰 in wood 木 (now changed to 大)

Components 丰刀大

contract · Heisig RSH #2581

bushes + 刀 sword + St. Bernard dog

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
阿契美尼德王朝	Ā qì měi ní dé Wáng cháo	Achaemenid Dynasty, (559–330 BC), ancient Iranian dynasty whose kings ruled the Achaemenid…
阿巴拉契亚	Ā bā lā qì yà	Appalachian Mountains in North America
契约精神	qì yuē jīng shén	culture of honoring contractual obligations
契沙比克湾	Qì shā bǐ kè Wān	Chesapeake Bay
普契尼	Pǔ qì ní	Puccini
同符合契	tóng fú hé qì	same sign, joint aim (idiom); fig. completely compatible; identical
契丹国志	Qì dān Guó zhì	History of the Liao Dynasty, 13th-century book on the history of the Khitan Empire (916-11…
契约桥牌	qì yuē qiáo pái	contract bridge (card game)
卖身契	mài shēn qì	contract selling a person into servitude
契子	qì zǐ	adopted son
地契	dì qì	title deed (for land); CL:張\|张[zhang1],份[fen4]
契机	qì jī	opportunity; turning point
契合	qì hé	agreement; to agree; to get on with; congenial; agreeing with; to ally oneself with sb
相契	xiāng qì	(literary) to be a good match
交契	jiāo qì	friendship
契卡	Qì kǎ	Cheka, a Soviet secret police agency, forerunner of the KGB
契约	qì yuē	agreement; contract
约契	yuē qì	contract; oath of allegiance
房契	fáng qì	deed (for a house); CL:張\|张[zhang1],份[fen4]
团契	tuán qì	Christian association; fellowship

These characters use 契 as their sound component — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
契 sound part	qì	deed, bond, contract; to engrave
楔	xiē	to wedge; wedge, gatepost; forward
禊	xì	a semi-annual ceremony of purification
葜	qiā	Smilax china