急 (jí) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

急

jí[ji2]Tone 2

urgent

HSK 2

Guru Deep Dive

English · urgent

Cached lesson

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Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:9

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the top claw component compact and allow the bottom heart radical (心) to spread out gracefully to anchor the character.

1. Meaning

urgent, pressing, rapid, hurried

worriedanxiousto make someone anxious

Adjective / VerbNeutral#emotion#speed#time

Sample Usage

这件事情很急。
Zhè jiàn shì qing hěn jí.
This matter is very urgent.
你别急，慢慢来。
Nǐ bié jí, màn man lái.
Don't worry, take your time.

2. Sound

/[t͡ɕi³⁵]/Tone: 35

急

jíji2

´(35)

=jí

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Alveolo-Palatal

Sounds like: sounds like the 'j' in 'jeep' but with the tongue blade flat against the hard palate

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: No air puff. Lips spread wide like smiling.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Blade of the tongue touches the hard palate while the tip rests behind lower teeth.

Final Rhyme

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 like asking a question in English: 'What?' or 'Really?'

Sandhi: When followed by another Tone 2 syllable, it shifts to a high rising contour.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing it with Tone 4 (jì) which drops sharply; ensure you climb upward.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Start from a mid pitch and sweep your hand upward sharply like an airplane taking off, mimicking the rising 35 pitch contour.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 9 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the top claw component compact and allow the bottom heart radical (心) to spread out gracefully to anchor the character.

4. Components

Radical 心 · Heart Radical (heart, mind, emotions)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 心 (indicates emotional state of worry or urgency originating from the heart/mind)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 及 (original sound: jí)

The top part (及) means 'to reach or catch up', and the bottom part is the heart (心). When something is rushing to catch up to you, your heart feels urgent and worried.

及 phonetic clue and meaning of reaching/catching up
心 semantic heart/mind indicator

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

9· Phonetic Root: 刍 (chú)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined the pictograph of a person grabbing another (及) with the heart (心) to show a state of mental turmoil or rushed panic.

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from physical catching up with a worried heart to general abstract urgency, impatience, and anxiety.

The bottom '心' is written in a compressed form with dots when placed at the base of a character.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: キュウ (kyuu) / Kun: いそ.ぐ (iso.gu)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

급

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You are trying to catch up (及) to a train, and your heart (心) is beating extremely fast because it is so URGENT (jí)!

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

级

jígrade, levelReplaces the heart radical with the silk radical (纟), referring to silk thread grades.

极

jíextremeReplaces the heart radical with the wood radical (木), referring to the top ridgepole of a house.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

及(jí)

及 lacks the heart (心) at the bottom and simply means 'to reach' or 'and'.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

时间不早了，大家快一点，别___。

Clue: bié jí

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the bottom heart component with a water or hand radical when handwriting.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 急, what does it mean and how is it pronounced?

Production: How do you write the character for 'urgent/worried' (jí)?

急jíurgent

Speed:

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