Chinese character for rooster: 鸡 (jī)
The Chinese character for rooster and chicken is 鸡 (jī). It is the tenth animal of the Chinese zodiac, called the Rooster. It appears in 公鸡 (gōngjī, rooster) and 鸡蛋 (jīdàn, egg).
How 鸡 is built
The traditional form 雞 joins 奚 (xī), which gives the sound, with 隹 (zhuī), a short-tailed bird. The simplified form 鸡 replaces 奚 with the simple shape 又 and uses 鸟 (niǎo, bird) on the right. As a memory aid, 鸡 is 'again 又 a bird 鸟': the bird you see again and again on the farm. Both are read jī.
鸡 jī · chicken
- 又yòu — and
- 鸟niǎo — bird
Origin hint: Another 又 kind of bird 鸟 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
How 鸡 is used
Other ways to say rooster
- 公鸡 gōngjī — rooster specifically, a male chicken
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: 鸡 also means 'chicken' as food and has slang meanings, so check with a native speaker before using it alone as a tattoo.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for rooster?
鸡 (jī) means “chicken”. In traditional characters it is written 雞.
How do you pronounce 鸡?
鸡 is pronounced jī.
Is 鸡 simplified or traditional?
鸡 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore; 雞 is the traditional form used in Taiwan and Hong Kong.