敌 (dí) is a Chinese character meaning “enemy”. It is written from 舌 (tongue) and 攵 (a hand holding a stick; marks an action done to something), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “enemy”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
舌 + 攵
Left–right structure
- 舌 tongue · shé simplified form
- 攵 a hand holding a stick; marks an action done to something · pū meaning
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（舌6画 + 攵4画 = 10画）；繁体「敵」据说文解字：从攴，啇声，简化字以「舌」形替代「啇」
Memory aid
A sharp tongue (舌) on one side, a hand swinging a stick (攵) on the other — someone you fight with both words and blows is your enemy.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 敌人dí rénenemy; foe敌 = dí
- 无敌wú díinvincible; unmatched敌 = dí
- 敌寇dí kòuenemy invaders敌 = dí
Go deeper
All readings
enemy
enemy; foe; to oppose; to resist; to be a match for
敌人，有利害冲突、互相对立的一方；也指抵挡，或力量相当。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 敌人dí rénenemy; foe敌 = dí
- 无敌wú díinvincible; unmatched敌 = dí
- 敌寇dí kòuenemy invaders敌 = dí
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 敌 mean?
敌 (dí) means enemy; foe; to oppose; to resist; to be a match for.
How do you pronounce 敌?
It is pronounced dí.
What parts is 敌 made of?
舌 (tongue) and 攵 (a hand holding a stick; marks an action done to something), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（舌6画 + 攵4画 = 10画）；繁体「敵」据说文解字：从攴，啇声，简化字以「舌」形替代「啇」. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 敌 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 敌?
攵. 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 敌?
Common ones are 敌人 and 无敌. The reading of 敌 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.