嗒 meaning and stroke order
Absent-minded
How to write 嗒, stroke by stroke
12 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 嗒
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (onom.) used in words that describe machine gunfire, the ticking of a clock or the clatter of horse hooves etc
- used in 嗒然[ta4 ran2] and 嗒喪|嗒丧[ta4 sang4]
How 嗒 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 荅 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 嗒
嗒 has 口 (mouth) on the left for sound, and 荅 (dá) on the right giving the pronunciation. Picture a mouth going "da da da" to copy a ticking clock or clattering hooves.
As dā, 嗒 is mostly an onomatopoeia, often doubled or paired, to imitate ticking, gunfire, or hoofbeats. Example: 钟嘀嗒嘀嗒地响。(Zhōng dīdā dīdā de xiǎng.) The clock goes tick tock. As tà, it appears in literary words like 嗒然 (tàrán, dejected, absent-minded).
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 嗒 with 答 (dá, to answer), which has the bamboo radical ⺮ on top instead of 口 on the left. Also remember the tone shifts to tà in 嗒然 and 嗒丧.
Common words with 嗒
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 嘀嗒 | dīdā | (onom.) tick tock |
Questions about 嗒
How many strokes are in 嗒?
嗒 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 嗒 mean?
嗒 (dā) means absent-minded. A common word with it is 嘀嗒 (dīdā), meaning "(onom.) tick tock".
How do you pronounce 嗒?
嗒 is pronounced dā, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 嗒?
The radical of 嗒 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 嗒 under this radical.
What is the difference between 嘀嗒 and 滴答?
Both are read dīdā and imitate ticking or dripping sounds. 滴答 leans toward dripping water, while 嘀嗒 is common for clocks, but in practice they are often used interchangeably.
Why does 嗒 mean absent-minded if it is a sound word?
The "absent-minded" meaning belongs to the tà reading in literary words like 嗒然 (tàrán) and 嗒丧 (tàsàng), which describe looking lost or dejected. It is a separate use from the dā sound word.