Radical ⽓ (84)

{氣} *C.qʰə[t]s “air”

Uncertain. Either an abstract depiction of wind/air or a shortened form of ⿰奚戌 *KƏT (depiction of a slave being decapitated for {刏} *[C.q]ˤə[t]s “to cut off”).

Modern simplified form of 氣 in China.

• 季旭昇 2014 - 說文新證 [2nd ed.] (58-59)
• 林澐 2022 - 甲骨文“气”字補說
• 尉侯凱 2025 - 釋“幾”
• Bökset R. 2021 - Long Story of Short Forms: Simplified Chinese Characters from A to Z (240-241)

Shortening of 氣 based on the replacement of 米 with 㐅. Modern simplified form in Japan.

• Bökset R. 2021 - Long Story of Short Forms: Simplified Chinese Characters from A to Z (240-241)

{餼} *qʰ(r)ə[t]s “to present grain” ♪→ {氣} *C.qʰə[t]s “air”

米 RICE + ♪气 *QƏ[T].

• 林志強 & al. (ed.) 2017 - 《文源》評注 (607)

Forms:

気 - Shortening based on the replacement of 米 with 㐅. Modern simplified form in Japan.

气 - Preservation of the ancient glyph for {氣}. Modern simplified form in China.