趾 (zhǐ): toe
趾 (zhǐ) is a Chinese character meaning “toe.” Outside the HSK 3.0 syllabus (CLEC 2022), it is composed of 足 (semantic) and 止 (phonetic). It ranks #2305 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 趾 foot. Its radical form 足 (foot) appears in many related characters such as 足 (zú, foot), 跑 (pǎo, to run), 路 (lù, road).
Definitions
- toe
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 趾 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 脚趾noun | jiǎo zhǐ | toe |
| 脚趾头noun | jiǎo zhǐ tou | toe |
| 趾甲noun | zhǐ jiǎ | toenail |
| 趾高气扬phrase | zhǐ gāo qì yáng | high and mighty (idiom) |
| 大短趾百灵 | dà duǎn zhǐ bǎi líng | (bird species of China) greater short-toed lark (Calandrella brachydactyla) |
| 亚洲短趾百灵 | yà zhōu duǎn zhǐ bǎi líng | (bird species of China) Asian short-toed lark (Alaudala cheleensis) |
| 细嘴短趾百灵 | xì zuǐ duǎn zhǐ bǎi líng | (bird species of China) Hume's short-toed lark (Calandrella acutirostris) |
| 大五趾跳鼠 | dà wǔ zhǐ tiào shǔ | great jerboa (Allactaga major) |
| 交趾proper-noun | jiāo zhǐ | former southernmost province of the Chinese Empire, now northern Vietnam |
| 金背三趾啄木鸟 | jīn bèi sān zhǐ zhuó mù niǎo | (bird species of China) common flameback (Dinopium javanense) |
| 黄脚三趾鹑 | huáng jiǎo sān zhǐ chún | (bird species of China) yellow-legged buttonquail (Turnix tanki) |
| 林三趾鹑 | lín sān zhǐ chún | (bird species of China) common buttonquail (Turnix sylvaticus) |
| 三趾啄木鸟 | sān zhǐ zhuó mù niǎo | (bird species of China) Eurasian three-toed woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus) |
| 三趾鸥 | sān zhǐ ōu | (bird species of China) black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) |
| 三趾翠鸟 | sān zhǐ cuì niǎo | (bird species of China) black-backed dwarf kingfisher (Ceyx erithaca) |
趾 appears in 25 compound words: 16 as the first character, 16 as the last, and 68 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Idioms & Chengyu (1)
Example Sentences
学习趾字需要反复练习，才能写得工整。
xué xí zhǐ zì xū yāo fǎn fù liàn xí , cái néng xiě dé gōng zhěng .
Writing the character "趾" requires repeated practice to ensure it is written neatly.
蹚水回来后务必洗脚，并彻底擦干脚趾缝隙。
蹚 shuǐ huí lái hòu wù bì xǐ jiǎo , bìng chè de cā gān jiǎo zhǐ féng xì .
After wading through water, be sure to wash your feet and thoroughly dry between your toes.
同时，鞋子抓脚不稳，人们会下意识蜷缩脚趾抓鞋，长期可造成脚趾挛缩、指甲磕碰损伤。
tóng shí , xié zǐ zhuā jiǎo bù wěn , rén men huì xià yì shí 蜷 suō jiǎo zhǐ zhuā xié , cháng qī kě zào chéng jiǎo zhǐ 挛 suō , zhǐ jiǎ kē pèng sǔn shāng .
At the same time, if shoes don’t fit securely, people will subconsciously curl their toes to grip the shoes, which over time can lead to toe contractures and injuries from bumping the toenails.
费城这位艺术家征集脚趾甲屑 竟与世界杯有关
fèi chéng zhè wèi yì shù jiā zhēng jí jiǎo zhǐ jiǎ xiè jìng yǔ shì jiè bēi yǒu guān
An artist in Philadelphia is collecting toenail clippings—and it’s actually related to the World Cup
奉天宫头香得主捧交趾陶还愿 隐喻5月婚事马到成功
fèng tiān gōng tóu xiāng dé zhǔ pěng jiāo zhǐ táo hái yuàn yǐn yù 5 yuè hūn shì mǎ dào chéng gōng
The recipient of the first incense offering at Fengtian Palace presents a piece of Cochinware as a votive offering, symbolizing that their May wedding will be a resounding success
Character Family
Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 足 (foot) component
Homophones — Characters pronounced zhǐ
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 趾 (zhǐ) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 趾 and 此?
How many strokes does 趾 have?
What is the radical of 趾?
What are the components of 趾?
What are common words containing 趾?
What characters sound the same as 趾 (zhǐ)?
Is 趾 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 趾 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.