汰 meaning and stroke order
To eliminate, to scour, to wash out; excessive
How to write 汰, stroke by stroke
7 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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- 7
Meaning of 汰
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to discard
- to eliminate
How 汰 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 太 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 汰
汰 is water 氵 plus 太 (tài), which also gives the sound. Picture pouring a great deal of water over sand, so the useless bits wash away and are eliminated.
汰 almost never appears alone in modern Chinese. It lives in 淘汰 (táotài), which means to wash out or to weed out the weak, and in sports terms like 淘汰赛 (táotàisài), a knockout round. Example: 他在第一轮就被淘汰了。(Tā zài dì yī lún jiù bèi táotài le.) He was knocked out in the first round.
Common mistake: Learners often write 汏 or mix up 太 (tài) and 大 (dà) on the right side. 汰 needs the dot under 大, just like 太. Also keep the fourth tone, since 淘汰 is often misread as táotāi.
Common words with 汰
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 淘汰 | táotài | to wash out; (fig.) to cull | HSK 7-9 |
| 淘汰赛 | táotàisài | a knockout competition |
汰 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 汰
How many strokes are in 汰?
汰 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 汰 mean?
汰 (tài) means to eliminate, to scour, to wash out; excessive. A common word with it is 淘汰 (táotài), meaning "to wash out; (fig.) to cull".
How do you pronounce 汰?
汰 is pronounced tài, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 汰?
The radical of 汰 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 汰 under this radical.
Is 汰 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 汰 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can I use 淘汰 for things, not just people?
Yes. 淘汰 works for outdated products, technology, or methods too. For example, 这种手机已经被淘汰了 means this kind of phone has already been phased out.
What is the difference between 淘汰 and 去掉?
去掉 (qùdiào) simply means to remove something. 淘汰 suggests removal through competition or selection, where the weaker or older ones are dropped.