妓 (jì): prostitute

Meanings

1 prostitute
2 courtesan

Characters

妓

jì

prostitute; courtesan

Examples

古代的妓女不一定地位很低。

Gǔdài de jìnǚ bùyīdìng dìwèi hěn dī.

Courtesans in ancient times didn't necessarily have low status.

这部电影讲的是一个妓女的故事。

Zhèbù diànyǐng jiǎng de shì yīgè jìnǚ de gùshi.

This movie tells the story of a prostitute.

Tips

history

In ancient China, 妓 could refer to female entertainers skilled in music, poetry, and dance — not just sex workers. The compound 歌妓 (gējì) specifically meant 'singing courtesan.'

Components

radical

女 nǚ

woman

Woman radical on the left — also 妓's indexing radical (Kangxi #38). The character originally meant a female entertainer skilled in music and dance, later narrowing to 'courtesan, prostitute.' Same radical in a wide family of female-keyed words: 妈, 姐, 妹, 妻, 婚, 娘.

phonetic

支 zhī

branch; support

Right side 支 supplies the sound: zhī → jì with significant Old Chinese drift in both initial and tone. The same phonetic appears in 技 (jì, skill), 歧 (qí), 枝 (zhī), 肢 (zhī) — the 支 cluster spans zh-/j-/q- readings. A faint semantic link to 技 (skill) survives — entertainers were skilled performers.