鬼
guǐ · HSK 5
apparition
👻 鬼 = ghost radical; oracle bones show a kneeling figure with a strange head
The character depicts a being with an oversized, otherworldly head atop a human body. It now also covers metaphorical senses: a sinister plot, a dirty trick, or anything sneaky and underhanded.
鬼 — head 田 + legs 儿 + 厶
鬼 is a pictograph of a figure with a large, eerie head (田-shape) atop human legs (儿), with 厶 suggesting a swirling or sinister element. It originally depicted a masked spirit or the soul of the dead. The meaning broadened to 'ghost, demon,' and figuratively 'sneaky' or 'clever.'