七

七 (qī) is the number seven. Like other Chinese numbers, it sits directly before a measure word and a noun: 七个人 'seven people,' 七天 'seven days,' 七点 'seven o'clock.' Two things English speakers should know: first, Chinese culture mildly avoids 七 in some contexts because 七月十五 (Ghost Festival) and the verb 'to leave' (七 sounds close to some funeral terms) carry old associations — but in everyday life seven is fine, and modern speakers don't think twice about it.

Second, 七 has a fixed-form variant 柒 used on banknotes and contracts to prevent forgery, the same way English uses 'seven' alongside '7' on a check. The character 七 is one of the earliest Chinese numerals; the stroke shape comes from an ancient counting symbol that looked like a cross with a hook.