娣 meaning and stroke order
Younger sister; younger brother's wife
How to write 娣, stroke by stroke
10 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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- 10
Meaning of 娣
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- wife of a younger brother
How 娣 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Woman.
女 gives the meaning and 弟 hints at the sound.
Radical: 女 (woman), shared by 156 characters on this site.
How to remember 娣
娣 joins 女 (woman) with 弟 (dì, younger brother). Think of it as the woman of the younger generation in the family, which also gives you the sound dì.
娣 is a literary or classical character and is rarely used in everyday speech. It appears in old kinship terms like 娣姒 (dìsì), meaning the wives of brothers, and today it is seen mostly in given names. Example: 她的名字叫李娣。(Tā de míngzi jiào Lǐ Dì.) Her name is Li Di.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes confuse 娣 with 弟 (dì, younger brother) because they sound identical. In modern speech, a younger sister is 妹妹 (mèimei) and a younger brother's wife is 弟媳 (dìxí), not 娣.
Questions about 娣
How many strokes are in 娣?
娣 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 娣 mean?
娣 (dì) means younger sister; younger brother's wife.
How do you pronounce 娣?
娣 is pronounced dì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 娣?
The radical of 娣 is 女, which carries the idea of "woman". Dictionaries list 娣 under this radical.
Can I use 娣 to say younger sister in modern Chinese?
Not really. In everyday Mandarin people say 妹妹 (mèimei) for younger sister. Using 娣 would sound classical or confusing.
Why is 娣 common in girls' names?
It carries the gentle feminine 女 component and a family meaning, so parents sometimes chose it for daughters. In older naming customs, names with 娣 could also express hope for a younger brother to follow.