(de)

HSK 18 strokes
Readingsde

of

Stroke order animation

Character information

Pinyin
de / dì / dí / dī
Meaning
of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis); (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的[pi2 ge2 de5] "one made of leather" or 跑堂儿的 "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的[xin1 de5] "new one"); also pr. [di4] or [di5] in poetry and songs
Strokes
8
HSK level
HSK 1
Traditional
Same

Origin & structure

Where comes from and how its parts fit together.

⿰白勺

Made of

Parts are arranged left to right.

How to write step by step

8 strokes — each frame adds one stroke, shown in dark ink over the lighter ones.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8

Words with

Common words using — tap any character to open its stroke-order page.

biéde
HSK 1

else; other

Open 别的 page →
yǒude
HSK 1

(there are) some (who are...)

Open 有的 page →
dehuà
HSK 2

if (coming after a conditional clause)

Open 的话 page →
HSK 2

purpose; aim; goal; target; objective

Open 目的 page →
shìde
HSK 4

seems as if; rather like; Taiwan pr. [si4 de5]

Open 似的 page →

lit. to have a target in mind when shooting one's arrows (idiom)

Open 有的放矢 page →

Related characters

Ready to master 的?

Trace 的 stroke by stroke in the online practice tool, or turn it into a printable worksheet PDF with Tianzige practice grids, pinyin, and stroke-order breakdowns.