体

tǐ

Pinyin
tǐ
Pinyin (Plain)
ti
Tone
3
Strokes
7
Radical
人
Readings
tǐtiTone: 3used in 體己|体己[ti1 ji5]; Taiwan pr. [ti3]Order: 0Primary
Stroke Order Code
Speed
Stroke Order Data
["M 228 516 Q 274 573 324 650 Q 349 696 373 718 Q 383 728 379 743 Q 375 756 346 780 Q 318 799 299 799 Q 280 798 288 775 Q 301 744 290 718 Q 253 630 198 550 Q 144 472 71 387 Q 61 377 58 371 Q 55 359 69 362 Q 102 366 201 483 L 228 516 Z", "M 201 483 Q 222 449 224 355 Q 223 346 223 336 Q 223 230 196 123 Q 184 72 218 33 Q 219 30 222 28 Q 238 12 250 38 Q 265 78 264 123 Q 264 378 272 435 Q 279 462 270 472 Q 233 512 228 516 C 207 537 188 510 201 483 Z", "M 602 559 Q 675 572 789 576 Q 843 580 849 587 Q 853 599 837 610 Q 782 647 719 625 Q 670 613 603 598 L 562 590 Q 462 571 346 549 Q 327 546 342 531 Q 370 506 416 519 Q 468 537 530 546 L 602 559 Z", "M 600 248 Q 600 351 601 501 L 601 550 Q 601 554 602 559 L 603 598 Q 604 691 622 755 Q 631 770 628 783 Q 621 792 567 825 Q 543 841 524 826 Q 518 822 525 806 Q 559 755 560 705 Q 561 651 562 590 L 562 495 Q 559 374 558 238 L 555 201 Q 549 140 533 80 Q 521 38 548 -19 Q 555 -35 563 -39 Q 569 -46 576 -37 Q 583 -33 593 -13 Q 603 12 602 42 Q 601 70 600 209 L 600 248 Z", "M 530 546 Q 479 384 289 194 Q 279 181 288 181 Q 297 178 307 185 Q 443 260 562 495 C 598 566 544 589 530 546 Z", "M 601 501 Q 674 380 770 251 Q 786 227 819 225 Q 928 216 964 219 Q 974 220 976 225 Q 977 231 962 239 Q 820 302 750 371 Q 678 449 601 550 C 583 574 585 527 601 501 Z", "M 600 209 Q 613 212 697 224 Q 706 223 713 234 Q 714 244 695 252 Q 670 271 600 248 L 558 238 Q 525 232 495 228 Q 468 225 439 221 Q 415 217 434 203 Q 464 182 499 190 Q 524 196 555 201 L 600 209 Z"]
Meaning
The character “体” (simplified; traditional: 體) basically means “body” or “form,” as in a person’s body or the shape/structure of something. It is also used for “style” or “system” in words like 字体 (zìtǐ, writing/font style) and 体系 (tǐxì, system/structure).
Metadata
Locale: en
Cached At: 5/9/2026, 2:27:47 AM

Usage

In modern Chinese, **体 (tǐ)** most commonly relates to the body, form, or style. As a standalone noun, it can mean “body” (as in 身体 shēntǐ, human body or health) or “form/shape” (体型 tǐxíng, body shape). It also appears in words about physical or concrete things, like 具体 jùtǐ (concrete, specific) or 立体 lìtǐ (three‑dimensional). Learners quickly meet 体 in everyday vocabulary about health, physical condition, and the idea of something having a certain form or structure. Another very common use is in **“style” or “system”** of writing, sports, and language. For example, 字体 zìtǐ means font or style of characters, 正体字 zhèngtǐzì is “standard/traditional characters,” and 简体字 jiǎntǐzì is “simplified characters.” In sports, you see it in 体育 tǐyù (physical education, sports). It also marks grammatical or verbal “aspect” or “voice” in linguistic terms, such as 被动体 bèidòngtǐ (passive voice), though this usage is more likely in textbooks than everyday speech. Overall, learners most often encounter 体 in compound words, where it consistently carries the idea of physical body, concrete form, or standardized style.

Handwriting Notes

体 in handwriting usually looks a bit more compact and rounded than in printed fonts. Visually it has a left–right structure: on the left is 亻(the “person” radical), which tends to be written narrow and slightly taller, and on the right is 本 (here simplified), which fills the remaining space and often looks like a small “tree/wood” form with a short horizontal stroke crossing the vertical. In casual writing the right side may be compressed so the whole character fits into a roughly rectangular block. Handwritten forms can vary in how slanted the left 亻 is (some writers lean it more to the right), how clearly the crossing stroke on the right is shown, and how connected or separated the inner strokes are. In faster or more cursive styles, strokes may be shortened, slightly merged, or curved, but the key visual cues remain: a slim “person” on the left and a denser component on the right. Modern AI handwriting recognition systems are trained on many such handwritten variants, allowing them to recognize 体 even when the strokes are uneven, joined, or written with personal stylistic quirks.

Description

体 is a simplified Chinese character that mainly means "body" or "form," as in 身体 (shēntǐ, body/health). It is also used to refer to style or system, as in 字体 (zìtǐ, typeface) or 体制 (tǐzhì, system). In Japanese (たい, からだ) and Korean (체), it has similar meanings related to body and form.

Common Words

  • 身体shēntǐbody; health
  • 体育tǐyùphysical education; sports
  • 体重tǐzhòngbody weight
  • 体温tǐwēnbody temperature
  • 体力tǐlìphysical strength; stamina
  • 体检tǐjiǎnmedical checkup; physical examination
  • 体会tǐhuìto learn through experience; to realize; realization
  • 体制tǐzhìsystem; structure (of an organization, institution)
  • 体积tǐjīvolume; bulk
  • 体型tǐxíngbody shape; build
  • 体态tǐtàiposture; bearing; physique
  • 体味tǐwèibody odor; also: to appreciate, savor (figurative)
  • 体贴tǐtiēconsiderate; thoughtful; to show consideration for
  • 体谅tǐliàngto show understanding for; to be considerate of
  • 体制改革tǐzhì gǎigéinstitutional reform; system reform
  • 体态语言tǐtài yǔyánbody language
  • 个体gètǐindividual (as opposed to collective)
  • 集体jítǐcollective; group
  • 实体shítǐentity; substance; in-the-flesh
  • 立体lìtǐthree-dimensional; stereoscopic
  • 整体zhěngtǐwhole; entirety
  • 团体tuántǐgroup; organization; team
  • 集体主义jítǐ zhǔyìcollectivism
  • 形体xíngtǐform; shape (of the body or an object)
  • 字体zìtǐtypeface; font; style of writing characters
  • 体裁tǐcáiliterary form; genre
  • 体制内tǐzhìnèiwithin the (official) system; within the establishment
  • 体表tǐbiǎobody surface
  • 体内tǐnèiinside the body; internal (to an organism)
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