鐵 meaning and stroke order
Iron; strong, solid, firm
How to write 鐵, stroke by stroke
21 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 鐵
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- iron (metal)
- arms
- weapons
- hard
- strong
- violent
How 鐵 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Metal.
釒 gives the meaning and 戜 hints at the sound.
Radical: 釒 (gold), shared by 135 characters on this site.
How to remember 鐵
鐵 (tiě) is a sound-and-meaning character. The left part 釒 means metal, and the right part 戜 gives the sound, so picture a heavy metal piece stamped with a sound tag: iron.
鐵 is the traditional form, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Mainland China writes 铁. It appears in many transport and material words, and it can describe something firm or unbreakable. Example: 我坐地鐵上班。(Wǒ zuò dìtiě shàngbān.) I take the subway to work.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 鐵 (tiě, iron) with 鋼 (gāng, steel), which shares the same metal radical. Keep in mind that the common word for steel is 鋼鐵 (gāngtiě). Also watch the tone. It is third tone tiě, not first tone tiē as in 貼 (tiē, to stick).
Common words with 鐵
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 地鐵 | dìtiě | underground railway; subway; subway train | HSK 2 |
| 地鐵站 | dìtiězhàn | subway station | HSK 2 |
| 鐵路 | tiělù | railroad; railway | HSK 3 |
| 高鐵 | gāotiě | high speed rail | HSK 4 |
| 鋼鐵 | gāngtiě | steel | |
| 鐵軌 | tiěguǐ | rail; railroad track | |
| 鐵鏈 | tiěliàn | iron chain | |
| 手無寸鐵 | shǒuwúcùntiě | lit. not an inch of steel (idiom); unarmed and defenseless | |
| 磁鐵 | cítiě | magnet | |
| 鐵絲網 | tiěsīwǎng | wire netting | |
| 鐵匠 | tiějiang | blacksmith; ironworker | |
| 鐵定 | tiědìng | unalterable; certainly | |
| 廢鐵 | fèitiě | scrap iron | |
| 鐵道 | tiědào | railway line; rail track |
Questions about 鐵
How many strokes are in 鐵?
鐵 is written with 21 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 鐵 mean?
鐵 (tiě) means iron; strong, solid, firm. A common word with it is 地铁 (dìtiě), meaning "underground railway; subway; subway train".
How do you pronounce 鐵?
鐵 is pronounced tiě, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 鐵?
The radical of 鐵 is 釒, which carries the idea of "gold". Dictionaries list 鐵 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 鐵?
鐵 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 铁, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 鐵 mean when it is used figuratively?
It can mean firm, unshakable, or certain. For example, 鐵證 (tiězhèng) means ironclad proof, and 鐵飯碗 (tiěfànwǎn), an iron rice bowl, means a secure job.
What does the idiom 手無寸鐵 mean?
手無寸鐵 (shǒuwúcùntiě) literally means not having even an inch of iron in one's hand. It describes someone who is unarmed and defenseless. This connects to the sense of 鐵 as weapons.