chess, board game
On'yomi (音読み)
- キ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
—
About this kanji
The kanji 「棋」 primarily refers to board games, especially chess-related games. It is typically used in a noun form rather than as a verb. Common compounds include 将棋 (しょうぎ), which means shogi or Japanese chess; 囲碁 (いご), which refers to Go, another strategic board game; and 棋士 (きし), meaning chess player, someone skilled in these games. Additionally, 棋譜 (きふ) refers to a game record, documenting the moves in chess or Go. Note that while this kanji relates to traditional board games, it doesn't have a native reading in Japanese, making its usage distinctly Sino-Japanese.
Built from
Example sentences
彼は将棋の棋士になりたい。
He wants to become a shogi player.
Meanings across languages
- English
- chess, board game
- Tiếng Việt
- cờ, trò chơi trên bàn cờ
- 日本語
- 将棋, 囲碁
- 한국어
- 체스, 보드게임
- 中文
- 棋类, 棋盘游戏
- id
- catur, permainan papan
- th
- หมากรุก, เกมกระดาน
- es
- ajedrez, juego de mesa
- fr
- échecs, jeu de plateau
- de
- Schach, Brettspiel
- pt
- xadrez, jogo de tabuleiro
Common compounds
- 将棋しょうぎshogi (Japanese chess)
- 囲碁いごGo (board game)
- 棋士きしchess player
- 棋譜きふgame record (of chess or Go)
Want to actually learn this kanji?
The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.