滴 meaning and stroke order
To drip; to let drip; to apply (eye drops etc); (bound form) a drop (of liquid)
How to write 滴, stroke by stroke
14 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 滴
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to drip
- to let drip; to apply (eye drops etc)
- (bound form) a drop (of liquid)
- classifier for drops of liquid
How 滴 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 啇 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 滴
The water radical 氵 on the left tells you this is about liquid, and the right side 啇 gives the sound. Picture water 氵 falling one drop at a time beside 啇, and you have 滴 (dī), a drip.
滴 works as a verb meaning to drip or to apply drops, and as a classifier for drops of liquid. It also appears in common words like 水滴 (shuǐdī) and 雨滴 (yǔdī). Example: 一滴水 (yī dī shuǐ) a drop of water.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 滴 with 摘 (zhāi, to pick) and 嫡 (dí), which share the same right side 啇. Only 滴 has the water radical 氵, so check the left side and keep the first tone dī.
Common words with 滴
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
滴 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 滴
How many strokes are in 滴?
滴 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 滴 mean?
滴 (dī) means to drip; to let drip; to apply (eye drops etc); (bound form) a drop (of liquid). A common word with it is 滴答 (dīdā), meaning "(onom.) pattering sound; drip drip (of water)".
How do you pronounce 滴?
滴 is pronounced dī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 滴?
The radical of 滴 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 滴 under this radical.
Is 滴 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 滴 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say eye drops or putting in eye drops with 滴?
Eye drops are 眼药水 (yǎnyàoshuǐ), and putting them in is 滴眼药水 (dī yǎnyàoshuǐ). Here 滴 is the verb meaning to apply drops.
What does 点滴 mean besides a drop?
点滴 (diǎndī) can mean a little bit, as in small details of life, 生活的点滴 (shēnghuó de diǎndī). In hospitals it also refers to an IV drip, as in 打点滴 (dǎ diǎndī), to get an IV.