替 (tì) is a Chinese character meaning “to replace”. It is written from 夫 (man; husband) and 夫 (man; husband) and 日 (sun; day), one above the other, and takes 12 strokes.
Build the character for “to replace”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
夫 + 夫 + 日
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验 + IDS 构形（⿱㚘日；12 画：夫4 + 夫4 + 日4）
Memory aid
Two men (夫 夫) stand side by side above the sun (日): when one man’s shift under the sun ends, the other takes his place — to replace.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
12 strokes
In real words
- 代替dài tìto replace; to substitute for替 = tì
- 替代tì dàito substitute; to replace替 = tì
Go deeper
All readings
to replace; for
to replace; to take the place of; to substitute for; for, on behalf of
代替、更换；也表示为了某人，如「替他高兴」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 代替dài tìto replace; to substitute for替 = tì
- 替代tì dàito substitute; to replace替 = tì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 替 mean?
替 (tì) means to replace; to take the place of; to substitute for; for, on behalf of.
How do you pronounce 替?
It is pronounced tì.
What parts is 替 made of?
夫 (man; husband) and 夫 (man; husband) and 日 (sun; day), one above the other. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验 + IDS 构形（⿱㚘日；12 画：夫4 + 夫4 + 日4）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 替 have?
12. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 替?
曰. 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 替?
Common ones are 代替 and 替代. The reading of 替 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.