顶 (dǐng) is a Chinese character meaning “the top”. It is written from 丁 (fourth heavenly stem; adult male) and 页 (head; page, leaf (of a book)), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “top”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
丁 + 页
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 頂，顚也。从頁丁聲
Memory aid
页 is a head, and 丁 sits beside it sounding out dīng — the very top of the head. That is 顶: the top of anything.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 屋顶wū dǐngroof顶 = dǐng
- 山顶shān dǐngmountain top; summit顶 = dǐng
- 秃顶tū dǐngto go bald on top; a bald crown顶 = dǐng
Go deeper
All readings
top
the top; the crown of the head; to carry on the head; to prop up; most; (measure word for hats and hat-like things)
人或物体的最上部；也表示用头承载、支撑，或作帽子等的量词。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 屋顶wū dǐngroof顶 = dǐng
- 山顶shān dǐngmountain top; summit顶 = dǐng
- 秃顶tū dǐngto go bald on top; a bald crown顶 = dǐng
Sound component
丁 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 顶 mean?
顶 (dǐng) means the top; the crown of the head; to carry on the head; to prop up; most; (measure word for hats and hat-like things).
How do you pronounce 顶?
It is pronounced dǐng.
What parts is 顶 made of?
丁 (fourth heavenly stem; adult male) and 页 (head; page, leaf (of a book)), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 頂，顚也。从頁丁聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 顶 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 顶?
页. 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 顶?
Common ones are 屋顶, 山顶, 秃顶. The reading of 顶 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.