钉 meaning and stroke order
To join things together by fixing them in place at one or more points; to nail; to pin
How to write 钉, stroke by stroke
7 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 钉
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to join things together by fixing them in place at one or more points
- to nail
- to pin
- to staple
- to sew on
- nail
- to follow closely
- to keep at sb (to do sth)
- variant of 盯[ding1]
How 钉 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A metal 钅 nail 丁; 丁 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 钅 (gold), shared by 223 characters on this site.
How to remember 钉
The left side 钅 means metal, and 丁 (dīng) looks like a nail seen from the side, with a flat head on top and a hooked point. A metal 丁 is a nail, and 丁 also gives the sound dīng.
Read dīng when it is a noun, as in 钉子 (dīngzi, nail). Read dìng when it is the action of nailing, pinning or sewing something on. Example: 把画钉在墙上。(Bǎ huà dìng zài qiáng shang.) Nail the picture to the wall.
Common mistake: Learners often use one tone for every meaning. The noun nail is first tone dīng, but the verb to nail or to sew on is fourth tone dìng, so 钉钉子 is read dìng dīngzi. Also do not confuse it with 盯 (dīng, to stare at), which has the eye radical 目 instead of metal 钅.
Common words with 钉
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
钉 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 钉
How many strokes are in 钉?
钉 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 钉 mean?
钉 (dìng) means to join things together by fixing them in place at one or more points; to nail; to pin. A common word with it is 钉子 (dīngzi), meaning "nail; snag".
How do you pronounce 钉?
钉 has more than one reading: dìng and dīng. The most common is dìng, said in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 钉?
The radical of 钉 is 钅, which carries the idea of "gold". Dictionaries list 钉 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 钉?
The traditional form of 钉 is 釘. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 钉 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 钉 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 钉 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 碰钉子 mean?
碰钉子 (pèng dīngzi) literally means to bump into a nail. It is used for getting turned down or meeting a rebuff, for example when a request is refused.
What does 眼中钉 mean?
眼中钉 (yǎnzhōngdīng) means a nail in the eye. It describes a person you strongly dislike or see as an obstacle, much like the English a thorn in one's side.