ki
/kiː/noun
ki is spelled K-I: 2 letters and one syllable. It appears 7.6 times per million words in written English, the 8,542nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting KI, the name). People search “chi vs ki” about 70 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, ki means “A plant native to the Pacific islands and China (Cordyline fruticosa); ti” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ki is kis.
How many letters and syllables are in ki?
| Letters | 2: K-I |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 7.6 times per million words; the 8,542nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is ki?
Ki appears 7.6 times per million words in written English, the 8,542nd most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes KI, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce ki?
- /kiː/
Ki has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Words people confuse with ki
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of ki
- kis plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ki mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A plant native to the Pacific islands and China (Cordyline fruticosa); ti.
- 2
Alternative form of key (a kilogram)
- 3
UKslangAlternative form of kye (“cocoa”).
- 4
Alternative form of chi.
noun
- 1
A term indicating intrinsic energy; usually associated with martial art – karate, judo, aikido, etc. – practitioners who consider ki important to performing at the highest level.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does ki come from?
Borrowed from Hawaiian kī.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).