太 (tài) is a Chinese character meaning “too”. It is written from 大 (big) and 丶 (dot stroke), and takes 4 strokes.
Build the character for “too; extremely”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
大 + 丶
Overlapping structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS 候选经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：大 3 画 + 丶 1 画 = 4 画）
Memory aid
Take 大 (big) and drop one more dot 丶 under its arms. One stroke past big is 太 — too big.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 太阳tài yángthe sun太 = tàiHSK 1
- 太空tài kōngouter space太 = tài
- 太极拳tài jí quántai chi (a Chinese martial art)太 = tài
- 太监tài jiàneunuch (imperial court)太 = tài
- 晒太阳shài tài yángto bask in the sun; to sunbathe太 = tài
Go deeper
All readings
too; extremely
too; excessively; extremely; also: highest, greatest
过于、非常；也表示最高、最大。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 太阳tài yángthe sun太 = tàiHSK 1
- 太空tài kōngouter space太 = tài
- 太极拳tài jí quántai chi (a Chinese martial art)太 = tài
- 太监tài jiàneunuch (imperial court)太 = tài
- 晒太阳shài tài yángto bask in the sun; to sunbathe太 = tài
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 太 mean?
太 (tài) means too; excessively; extremely; also: highest, greatest.
How do you pronounce 太?
It is pronounced tài.
What parts is 太 made of?
大 (big) and 丶 (dot stroke). The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS 候选经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：大 3 画 + 丶 1 画 = 4 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 太 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 太?
大. 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 太?
Common ones are 太阳 and 太空. The reading of 太 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.