胎 meaning and stroke order
Fetus; classifier for litters (of puppies etc); padding (in clothing or bedding)
How to write 胎, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Meaning of 胎
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- fetus
- classifier for litters (of puppies etc)
- padding (in clothing or bedding)
- womb carrying a fetus
- (fig.) origin
- source
How 胎 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Flesh.
⺼ gives the meaning and 台 hints at the sound.
Radical: ⺼ (meat), shared by 176 characters on this site.
How to remember 胎
The left side ⺼ means flesh, the body. The right side 台 (tái) gives the sound, so 胎 (tāi) is the little bit of flesh growing inside the body: a fetus.
胎 rarely stands alone and usually appears in words like 胎儿 (tāi'ér, fetus), 双胞胎 (shuāngbāotāi, twins) and 轮胎 (lúntāi, tire). The tire meaning is very common in daily life. Example: 我的车轮胎破了。(Wǒ de chē lúntāi pò le.) My car's tire is flat.
Common mistake: Learners often say 胎 with the second tone because 台 is tái, but 胎 is first tone, tāi. Also do not confuse it with 抬 (tái, to lift), which has the hand radical 扌 instead of flesh ⺼.
Common words with 胎
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 双胞胎 | shuāngbāotāi | twin | HSK 7-9 |
| 轮胎 | lúntāi | tire; pneumatic tire | HSK 7-9 |
| 胎儿 | tāi'ér | unborn child; fetus | HSK 7-9 |
| 胚胎 | pēitāi | embryo | HSK 7-9 |
| 怪胎 | guàitāi | freak; abnormal embryo | |
| 堕胎 | duòtāi | to induce an abortion; induced abortion | |
| 投胎 | tóutāi | to be reincarnated | |
| 胎记 | tāijì | birthmark | |
| 车胎 | chētāi | tire | |
| 爆胎 | bàotāi | (of a car, bike etc) to get a flat tire | |
| 三胞胎 | sānbāotāi | triplets | |
| 脱胎换骨 | tuōtāihuàngǔ | to shed one's mortal body and exchange one's bones (idiom); born again Daoist; to turn ove | |
| 备胎 | bèitāi | spare tire; (slang) fallback guy (or girl) | |
| 胎盘 | tāipán | placenta |
胎 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 胎
How many strokes are in 胎?
胎 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 胎 mean?
胎 (tāi) means fetus; classifier for litters (of puppies etc); padding (in clothing or bedding). A common word with it is 双胞胎 (shuāngbāotāi), meaning "twin".
How do you pronounce 胎?
胎 is pronounced tāi, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 胎?
The radical of 胎 is ⺼, which carries the idea of "meat". Dictionaries list 胎 under this radical.
Is 胎 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 胎 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why does 胎 mean both fetus and tire?
In the dictionary data 胎 also means padding or an inner lining, something filled inside a shell. A tire, 轮胎 (lúntāi), is the round padded part of a wheel, so it is used in that sense.
How do you say someone has a birthmark or is reincarnated using 胎?
A birthmark is 胎记 (tāijì), as in 他脸上有胎记 (tā liǎn shang yǒu tāijì), he has a birthmark on his face. To be reincarnated is 投胎 (tóutāi), literally to throw oneself into a womb.