Pinyin	bǐ
Meaning	dagger
Radical	匕	繁體字	same

n/a

category: pictograph

structure: single

2stroke count

n/a

匕 (bǐ) “dagger” used to have a completely different meaning and form, and it is believed to be related to another character, 人 (rén) “person.” Nowadays, it is mostly used as a component to form other characters and doesn’t stand alone as a word by itself.

Used as a component

When 匕 (bǐ) is used as a semantic component, it usually means something related to humans instead of daggers, for example, 匕 in 老 (lǎo) “old.”

Used as a morpheme/word

匕 (bǐ) means “dagger,” but it cannot stand alone as a word. Instead, it must pair with 首 (shǒu), that is, 匕首 (bǐshǒu).

How to pronounce

This character sounds like pee, as in “speed.”