The character 体 — “body”: how to write it and what it means
body
The Chinese character 体 is read tǐ and means “body”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 体
体 has 7 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 体, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 体 is made of
On the left, 亻 “person”; on the right, 本 “basis”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 体
- 身体body; healthHSK 2
- 体育physical education, sportsHSK 3
- 体育馆gym, sports arenaHSK 3
- 体温body temperatureHSK 4
- 体检checkup; have a checkupHSK 4
- 体重body weightHSK 4
- 人体human bodyHSK 5
- 体验experience firsthandHSK 5
- 体会understand through experience; impressionHSK 5
- 集体collective, groupHSK 5
- 全体all (members), whole groupHSK 5
- 具体concrete, specificHSK 5
- 群体group (of people)HSK 5
- 媒体mediaHSK 5
- 体力physical strengthHSK 5
- 整体whole; as a wholeHSK 5
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 体?
体 has 7 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 体 mean?
体 means “body”. It appears in 身体 (“body”), 体育 (“physical education”), 体育馆 (“gym”), 体温 (“body temperature”).
How do you pronounce 体?
体 is read tǐ. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 体 have?
7 strokes.
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 体 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.
Start for free