铁 (tiě) is a Chinese character meaning “iron (metal)”. It is written from 钅 (metal radical (left-side form of 金)) and 失 (to lose; to miss), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “iron”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
钅 + 失
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：钅 5 画 + 失 5 画 = 10 画）
Memory aid
Metal (钅) you can never lose (失): iron is the tough metal that stays with you. This is a memory aid built from the real parts 钅 and 失.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 地铁dì tiěsubway; metro铁 = tiě
- 钢铁gāng tiěsteel; iron and steel铁 = tiě
Go deeper
All readings
iron
iron (metal); made of iron; hard, strong; firm, unshakable
一种常见的金属；也比喻坚硬、牢固、不可动摇。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 地铁dì tiěsubway; metro铁 = tiě
- 钢铁gāng tiěsteel; iron and steel铁 = tiě
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 铁 mean?
铁 (tiě) means iron (metal); made of iron; hard, strong; firm, unshakable.
How do you pronounce 铁?
It is pronounced tiě.
What parts is 铁 made of?
钅 (metal radical (left-side form of 金)) and 失 (to lose; to miss), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：钅 5 画 + 失 5 画 = 10 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 铁 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 铁?
钅. 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 铁?
Common ones are 地铁 and 钢铁. The reading of 铁 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.