恬 (tián) is a Chinese character meaning “quiet”. It is written from 忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 舌 (tongue), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “quiet; calm”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
忄 + 舌
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·心部：恬，安也。从心，甛省聲
Memory aid
A heart (忄) next to a tongue (舌): the tongue has stopped talking, so the heart goes quiet — calm, untroubled.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 恬静tián jìngquiet and peaceful; tranquil恬 = tián
- 恬淡tián dànindifferent to fame or gain; quiet and simple in outlook恬 = tián
Go deeper
All readings
quiet; calm
quiet; calm; tranquil; unperturbed; indifferent to fame or gain
安静，平静；心里不受打扰，也指不追求名利。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 恬静tián jìngquiet and peaceful; tranquil恬 = tián
- 恬淡tián dànindifferent to fame or gain; quiet and simple in outlook恬 = tián
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 恬 mean?
恬 (tián) means quiet; calm; tranquil; unperturbed; indifferent to fame or gain.
How do you pronounce 恬?
It is pronounced tián.
What parts is 恬 made of?
忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 舌 (tongue), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·心部：恬，安也。从心，甛省聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 恬 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 恬?
心. 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 恬?
Common ones are 恬静 and 恬淡. The reading of 恬 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.