ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY
记
to remember; to record
jì
5 strokes · 讠 (speech) + 己 (self) — words fixed to yourself · HSK 2
记 in traditional Chinese
記
What 记 is made of
讠 + 己 = 记
讠speech (side form)
己self / sixth stem
Where 记 comes from
Speech 讠 tied to the self 己: taking words into yourself is remembering; setting words down is recording. Memory and writing share one character because writing IS external memory.
记 in Chinese culture
记得 to remember, 忘记 to forget, 日记 diary ('daily record'), 记者 journalist ('one who records'). Every studying session ends with 记住了吗? — 'has it stuck?'
Example
记得 jìde — to remember
我记得你的名字。
Wǒ jìde nǐ de míngzi.
I remember your name.
How to remember it
WORDS attached to YOURSELF — RECORDED, REMEMBERED.
忘记 'forget' pairs the two opposites: 忘 losing from the heart, 记 fixing with words — forgetting as failed recording.
Same sound, different tones
Words unlocked by 记
记得 jìde
to remember
日记 rìjì
diary
Related characters
LEARN 记 WITH STROKE-BY-STROKE WRITING → DOWNLOAD ZHIZHI
One character a morning · 455-character HSK library · iOS