七
qī
The Chinese word for seven is 七 (qī).
七 is used as the cardinal number seven and can also refer to the figure seven itself.
Meaning: cardinal number 7 (num)
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
qī
When do people say it?
In some contexts, the number seven is associated with the concept of ghosts or the spirit world in Chinese culture.
Did you know?
- The character 七 originally represented a cutting motion, sharing its visual roots with the word for 'to cut', which is 切.
- In Chinese folk tradition, the seventh day of the seventh lunar month is the Qixi Festival, a romantic holiday similar to Valentine's Day based on the myth of two star-crossed lovers.
- Traditional Chinese funerals often involve a ritual period of mourning that lasts for forty-nine days, which is exactly seven weeks of seven days each.
Examples in context
- 七点叫醒我。Wake me up at seven.Tatoeba #5967319 by verdastelo9604, translation #477745 by mamat
- 猫有七条命。A cat has seven lives.Tatoeba #7532564 by pokeonimac, translation #1493550 by CN
- 他有七箇兒子。He has seven sons.Tatoeba #5637383 by verdastelo9604, translation #2698783 by WestofEden
- Wǒ yǒu qī zhī māo (我有七只猫)I have seven cats
- 70 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yuting and Wei are at a grocery store.
- 雨婷 Yuting伟，我们要买几个橙子？Wěi, wǒmen yào mǎi jǐ gè chéngzi?Wei, how many oranges do we need to buy?
- 伟 Wei买七个吧。Mǎi qī gè ba.Let's buy seven.
- 雨婷 Yuting七个可以吗？Qī gè kěyǐ ma?Is seven okay?
- 伟 Wei可以，雨婷。Kěyǐ, Yǔtíng.Yes, Yuting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “seven” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 七, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
