的
de
- Pinyin
- de
- Pinyin (Plain)
- de
- Strokes
- 8
- Radical
- 白
- Readings
- dedeof; ~'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 跑堂兒的|跑堂儿的[pao3 tang2 r5 de5] "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 songsOrder: 0Primarydi1diTone: 1a taxi; a cab (abbr. for 的士[di1 shi4])Order: 1di2diTone: 2really and trulyOrder: 2di4diTone: 4(bound form) bull's-eye; targetOrder: 3
- Stroke Order Code
- Speed
- Stroke Order Data
- ["M 211 528 Q 337 718 364 741 Q 382 759 365 772 Q 346 785 315 791 Q 287 797 275 789 Q 263 783 272 772 Q 287 739 241 640 Q 217 586 190 527 Q 189 526 189 524 C 177 496 194 503 211 528 Z", "M 185 523 Q 163 542 139 550 Q 132 553 127 548 Q 120 544 127 531 Q 169 441 158 244 Q 155 174 192 151 Q 207 145 211 172 L 213 206 Q 203 326 203 357 L 202 383 Q 202 443 204 493 C 205 507 205 507 185 523 Z", "M 321 185 Q 333 164 353 130 Q 362 114 371 117 Q 384 120 391 144 Q 421 217 418 314 Q 419 375 420 444 Q 423 486 441 512 Q 454 530 444 541 Q 425 559 384 574 Q 368 583 340 571 Q 306 555 264 541 Q 240 535 211 528 L 189 524 Q 185 524 185 523 C 156 517 175 486 204 493 Q 210 494 215 495 Q 345 534 354 526 Q 387 475 357 239 Q 356 217 348 215 Q 344 214 330 218 C 300 221 306 211 321 185 Z", "M 203 357 Q 234 351 318 369 Q 330 372 332 373 Q 339 380 335 387 Q 328 396 305 401 Q 284 404 231 387 Q 216 387 202 383 C 173 375 173 362 203 357 Z", "M 211 172 Q 215 172 220 173 Q 254 180 321 185 C 351 187 354 201 330 218 Q 326 221 324 222 Q 323 223 315 225 Q 311 228 311 226 Q 304 229 213 206 C 184 199 181 170 211 172 Z", "M 581 551 Q 650 656 680 712 Q 699 755 718 776 Q 727 788 721 803 Q 714 816 681 838 Q 650 856 629 854 Q 608 850 620 827 Q 648 779 565 619 Q 528 546 472 462 Q 462 450 461 443 Q 458 430 473 435 Q 500 441 570 536 L 581 551 Z", "M 710 74 Q 694 73 609 110 Q 599 114 599 108 Q 598 104 609 94 Q 661 43 684 6 Q 697 -18 712 -16 Q 733 -17 752 4 Q 822 64 840 212 Q 853 312 859 467 Q 859 501 880 528 Q 893 541 892 550 Q 891 559 871 572 Q 843 591 808 601 Q 786 608 719 585 Q 716 585 714 584 Q 683 575 581 551 C 552 544 548 543 570 536 Q 597 518 654 533 Q 781 549 787 541 Q 791 528 794 487 Q 801 231 746 111 Q 730 77 710 74 Z", "M 535 339 Q 560 311 587 277 Q 600 261 618 260 Q 630 259 637 273 Q 644 289 638 322 Q 631 358 536 391 Q 520 398 512 395 Q 506 391 506 377 Q 509 364 535 339 Z"]
- Meaning
- “的” is a very common particle that mainly links a describing part to a noun, similar to “’s” or “of” or “(that/which) is …” in English (e.g., 我的书 “my book,” 漂亮的花 “beautiful flower”). It can also mark emphasis or a definite statement at the end of a sentence (e.g., 是真的 “(it) really is (true)”).
- Metadata
- Locale: enCached At: 3/24/2026, 2:44:58 PM
Usage
The character “的” is one of the most common characters in modern Mandarin and is usually pronounced “de.” Learners first meet it as a grammatical particle used to link a modifier to a noun, similar to “’s” or “of” in English. In this role, it comes after adjectives, attributive phrases, or possessors: 我的书 (wǒ de shū, “my book”), 漂亮的花 (piàoliang de huā, “beautiful flowers”), 昨天买的衣服 (zuótiān mǎi de yīfu, “the clothes (that were) bought yesterday”). In these patterns, “的” doesn’t have a concrete meaning by itself; it marks that the part before it is describing or owning the noun after it. Learners also see “的” as part of very frequent structural contrasts with other “de” particles, such as 得 and 地, often in grammar explanations (的 before nouns, 地 before verbs, 得 after verbs). In many set phrases, especially with close relationships or simple adjectival structures, it can be omitted in spoken Chinese: e.g., 我妈妈 vs. 我的妈妈 (“my mom”), or 好人 vs. 好的老师 (“good person” vs. “good teacher”). As a standalone character, dictionaries may also list “的” with older or formal meanings like “target” or as a pronoun, but in everyday learning and modern usage, its main function is as this neutral structural particle linking modifiers to nouns.
Handwriting Notes
的 is visually quite compact and rounded in everyday handwriting, often looking less “square” and more flowing than in printed fonts. The left side (the “白” component) is usually written as a loose, slightly tall shape that can become quite narrow and simplified, while the right side (the “勺” component) tends to shrink and tuck in, sometimes appearing as just a small hook or curve with a short tail. In casual writing, lines may connect more than in print, corners may become curves, and the internal spacing can vary: some people write 的 more open and airy, others more compressed and blob-like, especially at small sizes or high speed. Because 的 is extremely common and its handwritten forms are so variable, AI-based handwriting recognition systems are widely used to identify it in digital note-taking apps, handwriting input on phones and tablets, and OCR tools. These systems are trained to cope with differences in stroke connection, relative proportions of the left and right parts, and degrees of simplification, so they can still correctly recognize 的 even when it’s written quickly, sloppily, or in different personal styles.
Description
的 is a very common Chinese grammatical particle, usually pronounced “de” (neutral tone). It most often marks possession or attribution, similar to “’s” or “of” in English (e.g., 我的书 “my book,” 漂亮的花 “beautiful flower”). It is one of the most frequent characters in modern written Chinese.