Traditional characters 4

歲 suì : year, age (not used alone, used to express age).

Stroke order:

Graphic components: 止 zhǐ foot, step; 戌 xū ritual axe (11^th earthly branch); 少 shǎo few (in a stylized form inside the character).

Etymology : 歲 suì originally referred to the planet Jupiter (歲星 suìxīng), whose revolution of about twelve years served as a reference for the ancient Chinese calendar. The character is composed of a foot 止 zhǐ (which marks movement, the passage of time) and a ritual axe 戌 xū (which evoked the sacrifices marking the passing of each year). By extension, 歲 came to mean "year" then "age".

幾 jǐ : how many (question word for small quantities).

Stroke order:

Graphic components: 幺幺 yōu two silk threads (fineness, tenuity); 戍 shù to guard (a man with a halberd).

Etymology : 幾 jǐ is a compound character. It combines 幺幺 yōu (two silk threads, evoking what is tiny, tenuous) with 戍 shù (the armed guard). Together, they suggest the idea of an imminent but barely perceptible danger, hence the original meaning of "small, weak, almost". By extension, 幾 came to mean "a few" or "how many" when it refers to a small number.