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Kotomora

棋

chess piece, Japanese chess, shogi

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes12

Readings

On'yomi

  • キ

Kun'yomi

  • ご

Meaning

棋 centers on board-game pieces, especially those used in Japanese chess (shogi). The meaning extends naturally to the game itself.

Most common words using 棋

20 of 47
  • 将棋しょうぎ
    N2

    shogi; Japanese chess

  • 棋士きし

    professional shogi player; professional go player

  • 棋譜きふ

    record of a game of go, shogi, chess, etc.

  • 詰将棋つめしょうぎ

    (constructed) shogi problem; shogi puzzle

  • 棋戦きせん

    go or shogi tournament

  • 棋聖きせい

    great master of go; great master of shogi

  • 棋力きりょく

    skill in go or shogi

  • 日本棋院にほんきいん

    Nihon Kiin (national go organization of Japan)

  • 棋王きおう

    Kiō (one of the eight major professional titles of shogi); shogi king

  • 将棋倒ししょうぎだおし

    falling down one after another (like dominoes)

  • 棋院きいん

    go institution; go club; go hall

  • 棋風きふう

    one's style of playing shogi or go

  • 棋界きかい

    world of go; world of shogi; go circles; shogi circles

  • はさみ将棋はさみしょうぎ

    checkerslike game played with shogi pieces and board; hasami shogi

  • 中国将棋ちゅうごくしょうぎ

    Chinese chess; xiangqi

  • 中将棋ちゅうしょうぎ

    chu shogi (large 12x12 board shogi variant)

  • 京都将棋きょうとしょうぎ

    Kyoto shogi (modern variant of shogi played on a 5x5 board)

  • 兵棋へいぎ

    wargame piece (on a training map); map symbol (representing troops)

  • 兵棋演習へいぎえんしゅう

    wargame; map exercise; kriegspiel

  • 和将棋わしょうぎ

    wa shogi (large 11x11 board shogi variant with piece names mainly based on animals)

Explore all words using 棋 →

Study

Etymology

棋 combines 木 (wood) with 其, which likely contributes the sound. The character originally referred to a wooden board game or its pieces.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side 木 suggests wood, and the right side 其 looks like a game board with pieces. Picture a wooden shogi board with pieces set up: 棋 is a chess piece.

Reading mnemonic

For キ, imagine a key wooden chess piece that unlocks the game: key -> キ, and that key piece is the most important one on the board.