庭 (tíng) is a Chinese character meaning “courtyard”. It is written from 广 (wide; dotted cliff radical) and 廷 (imperial court), one enclosing the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “courtyard”
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Structure
广 + 廷
Enclosing structure
Structure from: 说文解字：庭，宫中也。从广廷聲（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-2 广 3 画 + 3-8 廷 6 画 = 9 画）
Memory aid
A wide roof (广) drawn over 廷 (tíng) — the building keeps the meaning, 廷 keeps the sound. What lies under that roofline is the courtyard.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 家庭jiā tíngfamily; household庭 = tíngHSK 3
- 法庭fǎ tíngcourt of law; courtroom庭 = tíngHSK 5
Go deeper
All readings
courtyard
courtyard; yard; hall; law court
正房前的院子；也指厅堂、审理案件的处所。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 家庭jiā tíngfamily; household庭 = tíngHSK 3
- 法庭fǎ tíngcourt of law; courtroom庭 = tíngHSK 5
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 庭 mean?
庭 (tíng) means courtyard; yard; hall; law court.
How do you pronounce 庭?
It is pronounced tíng.
What parts is 庭 made of?
广 (wide; dotted cliff radical) and 廷 (imperial court), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：庭，宫中也。从广廷聲（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-2 广 3 画 + 3-8 廷 6 画 = 9 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 庭 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 庭?
广. 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 庭?
Common ones are 家庭 and 法庭. The reading of 庭 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.