帝 meaning and stroke order
Supreme ruler, emperor; god
How to write 帝, 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 帝
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) emperor; sovereign; supreme deity
How 帝 is built
Pictographic character. An altar on which a sacrifice is being made.
Radical: 巾 (cloth), shared by 53 characters on this site.
How to remember 帝
The old form of 帝 pictures an altar with a sacrifice on it, and only the supreme ruler or a god received such offerings. In the modern shape, picture a figure standing 立 (lì) on top of a cloth 巾 (jīn) draped over the altar.
帝 is a bound form, so it almost always appears inside words like 皇帝 (huángdì, emperor), 上帝 (Shàngdì, God), and 帝国 (dìguó, empire). Example: 秦始皇是中国第一个皇帝。(Qín Shǐhuáng shì Zhōngguó dì yī gè huángdì.) Qin Shi Huang was China's first emperor.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 帝 with 带 (dài, belt; to bring), since both have 巾 at the bottom, but 带 has a different top and a fourth tone with a different sound. Also avoid saying 帝 alone to mean emperor. Use 皇帝 instead.
Common words with 帝
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
帝 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 帝
Learning 帝 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 帝
How many strokes are in 帝?
帝 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 帝 mean?
帝 (dì) means supreme ruler, emperor; god. A common word with it is 上帝 (Shàngdì), meaning "God".
How do you pronounce 帝?
帝 is pronounced dì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 帝?
The radical of 帝 is 巾, which carries the idea of "cloth". Dictionaries list 帝 under this radical.
Is 帝 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 帝 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 上帝 the same as the Jade Emperor 玉帝?
No. 上帝 (Shàngdì) today usually means God in the Christian sense, while 玉帝 (yùdì) is the Jade Emperor, the ruler of heaven in Chinese folk religion and Daoism. Both use 帝 because it refers to a supreme ruler or deity.
How do you say a historical title like Peter the Great with 帝?
Chinese uses 大帝 (dàdì) after the name, as in 彼得大帝 (Bǐdé Dàdì), Peter the Great. The same pattern gives 亚历山大大帝 (Yàlìshāndà Dàdì), Alexander the Great.