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詰 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
詰jíto question, to interrogatex, 13 strokes, radical 言
jí(ji2) T2
  1. 1to question, to interrogate
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

詰jí(ji2)

The character 詰 (jí) primarily means to question or to interrogate. It is often used in contexts involving inquiry or examination, such as questioning someone's motives or understanding. It conveys a sense of probing for information or clarification.

Strokes13Radical言
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, questioning or interrogating can often be seen as a way to show concern or care, especially in familial or educational settings, contrasting with more confrontational styles that might be found elsewhere.

Memory Tip

Imagine a detective (the radical '言' which means 'speech') aggressively questioning a suspect (the component '乞' which resembles a person pleading). The sound 'jí' can be remembered as the detective saying 'Jeez, I need answers!'

Meanings of 詰

jí(ji2)
1to question, to interrogate
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 詰

詰Simplified
13Strokes
言Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 詰

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Podcast: 詰

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AI Study Notes for 詰

Usage Notes

Be mindful of the tone; 'jí' is pronounced with a rising tone, which can easily be confused with other words if mispronounced. It is used more in formal contexts, especially in legal or academic discussions. Common collocations include '詰問' (to interrogate) and '質問' (to question).

HSK Study Tips

Although 詰 is not part of the HSK vocabulary, it connects to other words involving questioning or dialogue at higher levels. Focus on recognizing its components and practicing its usage in sentences to enhance comprehension.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 詰 with similar-sounding characters like 记 (jì), which means 'to remember.' A common mistake would be saying '我记他' (I remember him) when they meant to say '我詰問他' (I interrogate him).

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 詰

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Etymology of 詰

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 讠 represents the meaning and 吉 represents the sound. Simplified form of 詰.

Memory Hint

speech

Semantic (meaning)言
+
Phonetic (sound)吉
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 詰

Phonosemantic compound. 讠 represents the meaning and 吉 represents the sound. Simplified form of 詰.

  1. 1The meaning half言 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half吉 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayspeech
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 詰? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 詰?

Decomposition of 詰

IDS Structure⿰言吉
詰Full Character
=
言yan2
left
吉Ji2
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 詰?

How to say to question, to interrogate in Chinese

“to question, to interrogate” in Chinese is詰jí

The character 詰 (jí) primarily means to question or to interrogate. It is often used in contexts involving inquiry or examination, such as questioning someone's motives or understanding. It conveys a sense of probing for information or clarification.

When to use 詰

Be mindful of the tone; 'jí' is pronounced with a rising tone, which can easily be confused with other words if mispronounced. It is used more in formal contexts, especially in legal or academic discussions. Common collocations include '詰問' (to interrogate) and '質問' (to question).

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 詰 with similar-sounding characters like 记 (jì), which means 'to remember.' A common mistake would be saying '我记他' (I remember him) when they meant to say '我詰問他' (I interrogate him).

Write 詰

詰

Practice writing 詰 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Word Family of 詰

Words Containing This Character4
诘jíto scold詰
诘问to ask questions詰問
反诘rhetorical question反詰
盘诘to cross-examine (law)盤詰
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 诘 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 詰

You can use it in a sentence like '他詰問我為什麼遲到了' which means 'He interrogated me about why I was late.'

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