The character 太 — “too”: how to write it and what it means

太
tài

too (much)

4 strokes · HSK 1 · word page

The Chinese character 太 is read tài and means “too (much)”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 太

太 has 4 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.

To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 太, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 太 is made of

大 “big” with a dot: bigger than big.

The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.

Words with 太

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 太?

太 has 4 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.

What does 太 mean?

太 means “too (much)”. It appears in 太阳 (“sun”), 太太 (“wife”), 太空 (“outer space”), 老太太 (“old lady”).

How do you pronounce 太?

太 is read tài. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 太 have?

4 strokes.

← 常 usual猫 cat →

More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.

Write 太 yourself

In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.

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