停 (tíng) is a Chinese character meaning “to stop”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 亭 (pavilion; kiosk), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to stop”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亻 + 亭
Left–right structure
Structure from: Unicode U+505C 与 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 现代字形核验（左「亻」2 笔 + 右「亭」9 笔 = 11 笔）
Memory aid
A person (亻) reaches a roadside pavilion (亭) and stops there to rest.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 停止tíng zhǐto stop; to cease停 = tíng
- 停车tíng chēto park (a vehicle); to stop the car停 = tíng
- 停顿tíng dùnto pause; a pause停 = tíng
- 停机坪tíng jī píngairport apron; tarmac停 = tíng
- 停泊tíng bóto moor; to berth; to anchor (of a ship)停 = tíng
Go deeper
All readings
to stop
to stop; to halt; to pause; to park (a vehicle)
停止，不再继续；暂时停留；停放（车辆等）。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 停止tíng zhǐto stop; to cease停 = tíng
- 停车tíng chēto park (a vehicle); to stop the car停 = tíng
- 停顿tíng dùnto pause; a pause停 = tíng
- 停机坪tíng jī píngairport apron; tarmac停 = tíng
- 停泊tíng bóto moor; to berth; to anchor (of a ship)停 = tíng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 停 mean?
停 (tíng) means to stop; to halt; to pause; to park (a vehicle).
How do you pronounce 停?
It is pronounced tíng.
What parts is 停 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 亭 (pavilion; kiosk), side by side. The recorded source is: Unicode U+505C 与 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 现代字形核验（左「亻」2 笔 + 右「亭」9 笔 = 11 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 停 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 停?
人. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 停?
Common ones are 停止, 停车, 停顿. The reading of 停 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.