HSK 3.0 · LEVEL 1
起
to rise, to get up, to start, or to begin
Free Chinese vocabulary flashcard · HSK 1
Why does 起 look like this?
The character is formed by '走' (zǒu, meaning to walk or run) on the left and '己' (jǐ, meaning oneself) on the right. Imagine yourself (己) getting up to start walking (走)—it's the perfect picture of 'rising' or 'starting'!