剃 meaning and stroke order
To shave
How to write 剃, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 剃
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to shave
- shave
- to weed
- variant of 剃[ti4]
How 剃 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Knife.
刂 gives the meaning and 弟 hints at the sound.
Radical: 刂 (knife), shared by 71 characters on this site.
How to remember 剃
剃 combines 弟 (dì), which gives the sound, with the knife radical 刂 on the right. Picture a big brother using a knife to shave his little brother 弟's head.
剃 is a verb for removing hair with a blade, used for shaving the head, a beard, or other body hair. It appears in everyday words like 剃刀 (tìdāo, razor) and 剃须刀 (tìxūdāo, shaver). Example: 他每天早上剃胡子。(Tā měitiān zǎoshang tì húzi.) He shaves his beard every morning.
Common mistake: Learners often read 剃 as dì because of the phonetic part 弟, but the correct tone and initial are tì, fourth tone. Also do not confuse it with 剔 (tī), which means to pick out or scrape off, as in picking meat off a bone.
Common words with 剃
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 剃刀 | tìdāo | razor | |
| 剃须刀 | tìxūdāo | shaver; razor |
剃 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 剃
How many strokes are in 剃?
剃 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 剃 mean?
剃 (tì) means to shave. A common word with it is 剃刀 (tìdāo), meaning "razor".
How do you pronounce 剃?
剃 is pronounced tì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 剃?
The radical of 剃 is 刂, which carries the idea of "knife". Dictionaries list 剃 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 剃?
The traditional form of 剃 is 薙 and 鬀. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 剃 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 剃 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 剃 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 剃 and 刮 when talking about shaving?
Both are used for shaving a beard, as in 剃胡子 or 刮胡子 (guā húzi). 刮 literally means to scrape, while 剃 focuses on cutting hair close with a blade. For shaving the head, 剃头 (tìtóu) or 剃光头 (tì guāngtóu) is the usual choice.
How do you say to get a buzz cut or shaved head with 剃?
Say 剃光头 (tì guāngtóu), which means to shave the head completely bald. The older word 剃头 (tìtóu) can also mean to get a haircut in general, especially in older or casual speech.