起码

起码 qǐmǎ

Minimum (at the very least)

起码 in a sentence HSK 6 繁體起碼 qima

What 起码 means

Minimum (at the very least)

These meanings come from the same dictionary that powers the Chinese to Pinyin translator and the Chinese to English translator, so a whole sentence containing 起码 will read it the same way this page does.

Recognise a piece of 起码 but not the character it belongs to? Pick the parts in the component character finder and it will name the character for you — free for every character, with nothing to sign in to.

Character by character

起码 is written with 2 characters. Chinese words are usually easier to remember once you can see what each part contributes.

起

qǐ

Rise (get up - remove - form - become - sketch out - establish)

码

mǎ

Yard (number - pile - stack)

Words that share a character with 起码

How to write 起码

Stroke order is not decoration — it is what makes handwriting legible and what dictionary lookup by stroke count depends on.

Practise 起码 on printable 田字格 sheets, trace it in the writing practice tool, or watch any other character in the Stroke Order Animator.

起码 in a sentence

这件事起码要三天才能做完。

Zhè jiàn shì qǐmǎ yào sān tiān cái néng zuò wán.

This will take at least three days to finish.

尊重别人是起码的礼貌。

Zūnzhòng biéren shì qǐmǎ de lǐmào.

Respecting others is the most basic courtesy.

Every sentence on this site that uses 起码 is collected on the 起码 sentence page. Want pinyin above a sentence of your own? Paste it into the Pinyin Annotator.

Questions about 起码

What does 起码 mean in English?

起码 is pronounced qǐmǎ and means Minimum (at the very least).

How do you pronounce 起码?

起码 is qǐmǎ in pinyin — written qima without tone marks. Press the audio button on this page to hear it spoken by a native voice.

What are the characters in 起码?

起码 is written with 2 characters: 起 (qǐ) Rise (get up - remove - form - become - sketch out - establish), 码 (mǎ) Yard (number - pile - stack). Knowing the parts is usually how the whole word becomes memorable.

How is 起码 written in traditional Chinese?

起碼. The simplified form 起码 is used in mainland China and Singapore; 起碼 is used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Both are pronounced qǐmǎ.

Is 起码 an HSK word?

Yes — 起码 is on the official HSK 6 vocabulary list. You can study it with the rest of that list on the HSK 6 page.

Studied around the same time

起草 qǐcǎo 起初 qǐchū 起伏 qǐfú 起哄 qǐhòng 起源 qǐyuán 气概 qìgài 气功 qìgōng 气魄 qìpò

Keep going

Translate a whole sentence containing 起码 with the Chinese to Pinyin translator, study it alongside the rest of HSK 6, drill it with HSK flashcards, or save it above and review it on your review deck.

Browse the dictionary

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