The pagoda's floor plan is an equilateral octagon, which in itself is not remarkable for Tang dynasty architecture. What makes the Nine Pinnacle Pagoda unique is that all eight side walls curve inward -- concave surfaces that create a subtle visual tension between the straight geometry of the octagonal plan and the organic curve of each wall. No other pagoda of the period uses this technique. The entire structure is brick, laid with joint gaps of about one centimeter, achieving a tightness that has held for over twelve centuries. At 3.6 meters above ground, a visible change in the wall's appearance suggests that the lower portion may once have been enclosed by another structure -- perhaps a surrounding hall or corridor that has since vanished.

The main body of the Nine Pinnacle Pagoda contains only a single story, and its most striking feature is entirely on the roof. Nine miniature pagodas crown the structure: eight positioned over the eight corners of the octagonal base with their doors facing outward, and a ninth, larger pagoda occupying the center with its door facing south. Each corner pagoda has three eaved stories and stands 2.84 meters tall. The central pagoda is nearly twice the size at 5.33 meters. Together with the main body, the total height reaches 13.36 meters. The eaves of the main structure are made from 17 layers of brick, a characteristic feature of Tang dynasty construction. The effect of the nine roof pagodas is unlike anything else in Chinese architecture -- a building that reproduces itself in miniature, a structure that seems to be dreaming of more structures.

Above the transition line in the walls, an arched entrance leads to the pagoda's interior chamber. Inside sits a 1.2-meter stone Buddha statue executed in Tang dynasty style, flanked by statues of two monks. Traces of Buddhist murals remain on the chamber walls -- faded remnants of what was likely once a richly painted interior. The pagoda stands on the grounds of the Nine Pagoda Temple, and it has been integrated into the Jiuding Pagoda Park of Folk Customs, a tourist attraction that contextualizes the structure within the broader landscape of Shandong folk culture. The nearby Four Gates Pagoda, Dragon-and-Tiger Pagoda, and Thousand Buddha Cliff form a cluster of Buddhist monuments that make this corner of Licheng District, 33 kilometers southeast of Jinan, one of the most significant concentrations of early Chinese religious architecture in the country.