堤 meaning and stroke order
Dike; Taiwan pr. [ti2]
How to write 堤, 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 堤
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- dike
- Taiwan pr. [ti2]
- variant of 堤[di1]
How 堤 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Earth.
土 gives the meaning and 是 hints at the sound.
Radical: 土 (soil), shared by 183 characters on this site.
How to remember 堤
堤 is earth 土 on the left with 是 (shì) on the right giving the sound. Picture people piling up earth 土 along a river bank to build a dike.
堤 (dī) means a dike or embankment that holds back water. It usually appears in compounds like 堤坝 (dībà, dam; dike) or 河堤 (hédī, river embankment). Example: 我们沿着河堤散步。(Wǒmen yánzhe hédī sànbù.) We take a walk along the river embankment.
Common mistake: Learners often read 堤 as tí because it looks like 提 (tí, to lift), which has the same right side 是 but the hand radical 扌. In mainland Mandarin 堤 is first tone dī, while 提 is second tone tí.
Common words with 堤
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 堤坝 | dībà | dam; dike | HSK 7-9 |
堤 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 堤
How many strokes are in 堤?
堤 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 堤 mean?
堤 (dī) means dike; Taiwan pr. [ti2]. A common word with it is 堤坝 (dībà), meaning "dam; dike".
How do you pronounce 堤?
堤 is pronounced dī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 堤?
The radical of 堤 is 土, which carries the idea of "soil". Dictionaries list 堤 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 堤?
The traditional form of 堤 is 隄. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 堤 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 堤 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 堤 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why do some people say tí for 堤?
The dictionary notes a Taiwan pronunciation of tí. In mainland standard Mandarin it is dī, so use dī unless you are following Taiwan usage.
What is the difference between 堤 and 坝?
堤 is usually a long embankment along a river, lake or sea. 坝 (bà) is more often a dam built across water. Together, 堤坝 (dībà) covers both ideas.