爹 meaning and stroke order
Dad
How to write 爹, 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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Meaning of 爹
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- dad
How 爹 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Father.
父 gives the meaning and 多 hints at the sound.
Radical: 父 (father), shared by 5 characters on this site.
How to remember 爹
爹 puts 父 (fù, father) on top and 多 (duō) underneath as the sound hint. Picture a father standing over his many (多) kids, and you have dad.
爹 is a warm, informal word for dad, common in northern speech, older stories, and TV dramas. Standard everyday Mandarin more often uses 爸爸 (bàba), but 爹 appears in set words like 爹娘 (diēniáng, parents) and 干爹 (gāndiē, godfather). Example: 爹，我回来了。(Diē, wǒ huílái le.) Dad, I'm home.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes read 爹 as duō because of the 多 component, but it is pronounced diē with a first tone. Also do not confuse it with 爷 (yé, grandpa), which shares the 父 top but has a different bottom.
Common words with 爹
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
爹 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 爹
How many strokes are in 爹?
爹 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 爹 mean?
爹 (diē) means dad. A common word with it is 老爹 (lǎodiē), meaning "(dialect) father; old man".
How do you pronounce 爹?
爹 is pronounced diē, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 爹?
The radical of 爹 is 父, which carries the idea of "father". Dictionaries list 爹 under this radical.
Is 爹 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 爹 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 爹 the same as 爸爸?
Both mean dad, but 爸爸 (bàba) is the neutral standard term used everywhere. 爹 sounds more rural, regional, or old-fashioned, and is common in historical dramas and northern dialects.
What does 干爹 mean in modern slang?
Literally 干爹 (gāndiē) is a godfather or informally adopted father with no legal tie. Online it can also refer jokingly to a rich male sponsor, so context matters.