Meaning of 铁
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- iron (metal)
- arms
- weapons
- hard
- strong
- violent
- unshakeable
- determined
- surname Tie
How to use 铁
铁 means iron, but you will meet it most often in transport words like 地铁 (dìtiě, subway), 高铁 (gāotiě, high speed rail) and 铁路 (tiělù, railway). It can also describe something firm or unbreakable, as in 铁哥们 (tiě gēmen, very close buddies). Example: 我每天坐地铁上班。(Wǒ měitiān zuò dìtiě shàngbān.) I take the subway to work every day.
铁 (tiě) has the metal radical 钅 on the left, which tells you it is a metal. Picture the right side 失 (shī) as a reminder that iron rusts and loses its shine over time.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 夫 or 天 instead of 失. The top stroke of 失 sticks out on the left, so check it carefully. Some also mix up 铁 (iron) with 钢 (gāng, steel) when talking about materials.
铁 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.
铁 tiě · iron · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 铁.
| 地铁 | dìtiě | underground railway; subway; subway train |
| 地铁站 | dìtiězhàn | subway station |
| 铁路 | tiělù | railroad; railway |
| 高铁 | gāotiě | high speed rail |
| 钢铁 | gāngtiě | steel |
| 铁轨 | tiěguǐ | rail; railroad track |
| 铁链 | tiěliàn | iron chain |
| 手无寸铁 | shǒuwúcùntiě | lit. not an inch of steel (idiom); unarmed and defenseless |
| 磁铁 | cítiě | magnet |
| 铁丝网 | tiěsīwǎng | wire netting |
| 铁匠 | tiějiang | blacksmith; ironworker |
| 铁定 | tiědìng | unalterable; certainly |
Questions about 铁
What does 铁 mean?
铁 (tiě) means "iron (metal); arms" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 铁?
铁 is made of 1 character: 铁 (10 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 铁 an HSK word?
Yes. 铁 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 铁 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 铁 is written 鐵.
What is the difference between 铁 and 钢铁?
铁 (tiě) is iron as a basic metal. 钢铁 (gāngtiě) means steel, or the iron and steel industry as a whole. In everyday speech people say 钢铁 when talking about steel products or factories.
Can 铁 describe people?
Yes. Used as an adjective, 铁 suggests something solid and reliable. 铁哥们 (tiě gēmen) means very close friends, and 铁饭碗 (tiě fànwǎn), an iron rice bowl, means a secure job.