Meaning of 添
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to add; to increase; to replenish
How to use 添
添 means to add more of something to an existing amount, and it often appears in set phrases like 添麻烦 (tiān máfan) and 添乱 (tiānluàn). In restaurants people say 添饭 or 添茶 when asking for more rice or tea. Example: 不好意思，给你添麻烦了。(Bù hǎoyìsi, gěi nǐ tiān máfan le.) Sorry to cause you trouble.
添 has the water radical 氵 on the left and 忝 on the right. Picture someone pouring more water into a cup to add to what is already there.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 添 (tiān) with 天 (tiān, sky) because they sound the same. In writing, some also miss the small 㣺 shape at the bottom right of 添, which looks like 小 with an extra dot.
添 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
添 tiān · to add · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 添.
Questions about 添
What does 添 mean?
添 (tiān) means "to add; to increase; to replenish" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 添?
添 is made of 1 character: 添 (11 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 添 an HSK word?
Yes. 添 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 添 and 加?
加 (jiā) is the general word for add, including in math, as in 一加一 (yī jiā yī). 添 is more about adding more of something to what is already there, like more tea, more clothes, or more trouble. You would not use 添 for arithmetic.
How is 画蛇添足 used?
画蛇添足 (huàshé-tiānzú) describes doing something unnecessary that spoils the result, like drawing legs on a snake. You might say 这句话是画蛇添足 (zhè jù huà shì huàshé-tiānzú), meaning this sentence is superfluous and makes things worse.