七
Simplified 七
Chinese character for seven: 七 (qī)
The Chinese character for seven is 七 (qī). It means seven and appears in 七月 (qīyuè, July) and 七夕 (Qīxī), the Chinese Valentine's Day on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.
How 七 is built
In ancient writing 七 looked like 十 (a cross), with a horizontal line cut by a vertical one, which meant to cut; that meaning moved to 切 (qiē, to cut), which still contains 七. To avoid confusion with ten, the vertical stroke was bent into a hook. As a memory aid, 七 is a cross with a bent tail. It is the same in simplified and traditional Chinese.
七 qī · seven
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 乚 — hook stroke
How 七 is used
七月qīyuèJuly
七夕QīxīChinese Valentine's Day
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: 七 is identical in both scripts; make sure the vertical stroke bends to the right so it does not look like 十 (ten).
Questions
What is the Chinese character for seven?
七 (qī) means “seven”.
How do you pronounce 七?
七 is pronounced qī.