笛 meaning and stroke order
Bamboo flute; whistle
How to write 笛, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
Meaning of 笛
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- flute
How 笛 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A bamboo ⺮ flute 由.
Radical: ⺮ (bamboo), shared by 149 characters on this site.
How to remember 笛
The top ⺮ is bamboo, and 由 (yóu) below looks like a tube with a hole in the middle. Picture a bamboo tube with holes that you blow through: a flute.
笛 (dí) rarely stands alone and usually appears in words like 笛子 (dízi) for a Chinese bamboo flute or 长笛 (chángdí) for a Western concert flute. It also covers things that whistle or blare, like 警笛 (jǐngdí) siren and 汽笛 (qìdí) ship horn. Example: 他会吹笛子。(Tā huì chuī dízi.) He can play the flute.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 笛 with 笔 (bǐ, pen), since both have the bamboo top. Check the bottom part: 笛 has 由, while 笔 has 毛. Also remember the verb is 吹 (chuī, to blow), not 弹 (tán) or 打 (dǎ).
Common words with 笛
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
笛 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 笛
How many strokes are in 笛?
笛 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 笛 mean?
笛 (dí) means bamboo flute; whistle. A common word with it is 笛子 (dízi), meaning "bamboo flute".
How do you pronounce 笛?
笛 is pronounced dí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 笛?
The radical of 笛 is ⺮, which carries the idea of "bamboo". Dictionaries list 笛 under this radical.
Is 笛 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 笛 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 笛子 and 长笛?
笛子 (dízi) usually means the traditional Chinese bamboo flute, held sideways. 长笛 (chángdí) is the Western metal concert flute used in orchestras.
Does 笛 sound like 由?
No. 由 is pronounced yóu, and 笛 is dí with a rising second tone. In this character 由 is not a sound hint, so you need to learn the pronunciation separately.