Writing Balance Rule: Write the overarching left-to-right sweep gracefully; keep the central vertical stroke balanced and centered to anchor the character.
1. Meaning
and, to reach, up to
in time forand alsoconnecting to
Conjunction / VerbFormal / Literary (often used in written Chinese to mean 'and')Bound morpheme#conjunction#action#connection
Sample Usage
普及
pǔ jí
to spread, popularize
及时
jí shí
timely, in time
2. Sound
/[t͡ɕi³⁵]/Tone: 35
及
jíji2
|
++
´(35)
=jí
Initial Consonant
j
Type: Unaspirated Alveolo-Palatal
Sounds like: like the 'j' in 'jeep' but with the tongue blade flat against the roof of the mouth
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: No air puff. Lips spread wide like smiling.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip rests behind lower front teeth while the blade rises toward the hard palate
Final Rhyme
i
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: rhymes with the 'ee' in 'see'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ee'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
3 → 5 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises from mid to high pitch (35), matching an inquisitive English intonation like 'Huh?' or 'Really?'
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the rising tone (Tone 2) with Tone 4 (jì), which drops sharply downward.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Start at a mid pitch and sweep your hand sharply upward and to the right, just like raising your hand to ask a question in surprise ('What?').
3. Writing
Topology: Single character · Strokes: 3 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: Write the overarching left-to-right sweep gracefully; keep the central vertical stroke balanced and centered to anchor the character.
4. Components
Radical又 · Right Hand Radical (right hand, again)
The character depicts a hand (又) reaching down to grab or catch up with someone running ahead (represented by the first two strokes).
丿 A person moving forward
㇇ Reaching arm
又 Hand catching up
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
11· Phonetic Root: 及 (jí)
5. History
Liushu category: Compound ideogram (会意)
Origin: In Oracle Bone script, '及' depicts a hand (又) catching or grabbing a person from behind, signifying 'reaching' or 'catching up with'.
Semantic Evolution: From the physical act of reaching or catching up, it broadened to mean 'reaching a time or condition' ('in time for'), and later grammaticalized as a written conjunction meaning 'and'.
It serves as an essential building block in classical and modern Chinese conjunction structures.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: キュウ (kyū) / Kun: およ.ぶ (oyo.bu)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
급
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
You are running late, but you reach out your HAND (又) and catch up (及) 'just in time' (jí) to grab the train!
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
级
jígrade, levelAdds the silk thread radical (纟) on the left to represent graded levels of woven silk.
极
jíextreme, poleAdds the wood radical (木) on the left to represent a wooden pole.
吸
xīto inhale, to suckAdds the mouth radical (口) on the left because you inhale with your mouth.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
友(yǒu)
友 means 'friend' and features a bottom horizontal stroke instead of a vertical hook stroke.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
我们必须[___]时完成这个任务。
Clue: jí
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing it visually with 友 (yǒu) or missing the correct rising tone (Tone 2), pronouncing it flat or falling.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 及, what are its primary meanings and how is it pronounced with tone?
Production: How do you write the 3-stroke character meaning 'and' or 'to reach' (jí)?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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及jíand / to reach / up to
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