蹄 meaning and stroke order
Hoof; pig's trotter
How to write 蹄, stroke by stroke
16 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 蹄
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- hoof
- pig's trotters
- variant of 蹄[ti2]
How 蹄 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Foot.
足 gives the meaning and 帝 hints at the sound.
Radical: 足 (foot), shared by 119 characters on this site.
How to remember 蹄
蹄 puts 足 (foot) on the left and 帝 (dì, emperor) on the right. Picture the emperor's horse: its foot is a hoof, and 帝 hints at the sound tí.
蹄 means the hoof of an animal like a horse, cow, or pig, and it often appears in words such as 马蹄 (mǎtí, horse hoof) and 猪蹄 (zhūtí, pig's trotter). In food contexts, 猪蹄 is a common dish. Example: 我妈妈很会做猪蹄。(Wǒ māma hěn huì zuò zhūtí.) My mom is great at cooking pig's trotters.
Common mistake: Learners often read 蹄 as dì because of the phonetic part 帝, but the correct tone and initial are tí, second tone. Also do not confuse it with 啼 (tí, to cry or crow), which has 口 instead of 足.
Common words with 蹄
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 蹄子 | tízi | hoof; (old) wench |
Questions about 蹄
How many strokes are in 蹄?
蹄 is written with 16 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 蹄 mean?
蹄 (tí) means hoof; pig's trotter. A common word with it is 蹄子 (tízi), meaning "hoof; (old) wench".
How do you pronounce 蹄?
蹄 is pronounced tí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 蹄?
The radical of 蹄 is 足, which carries the idea of "foot". Dictionaries list 蹄 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 蹄?
The traditional form of 蹄 is 蹏. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 蹄 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 蹄 and 蹄子?
蹄 usually appears inside compounds like 马蹄 or 猪蹄. 蹄子 (tízi) is the standalone word for hoof in everyday speech. In older texts or dialects, 蹄子 can also be an insult for a young woman, so be aware of context.
Is 马蹄 always a horse's hoof?
No. In food and markets, 马蹄 (mǎtí) often means water chestnut, a crunchy vegetable named for its shape. Context like a menu or recipe tells you which meaning is meant.