帝 (dì) is a Chinese character meaning “emperor”. It is written from 亠 (lid) and 丷 (two spreading strokes) and 冖 (cover) and 巾 (cloth), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “emperor”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
亠 + 丷 + 冖 + 巾
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: Unicode U+5E1D; modern decomposition candidate checked against hanzi-writer-data stroke geometry (9 strokes = 亠2 + 丷2 + 冖2 + 巾3)
Memory aid
A lid (亠) worn like a crown, two plumes (丷) spreading under it, a wide canopy (冖) held overhead, and a long cloth banner (巾) hanging down — the emperor seated under his canopy.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 皇帝huáng dìemperor帝 = dì
- 上帝shàng dìGod帝 = dì
Go deeper
All readings
emperor
emperor; sovereign; supreme ruler; (in religion) a supreme deity
君主；最高统治者。也用来指天上的神。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 皇帝huáng dìemperor帝 = dì
- 上帝shàng dìGod帝 = dì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 帝 mean?
帝 (dì) means emperor; sovereign; supreme ruler; (in religion) a supreme deity.
How do you pronounce 帝?
It is pronounced dì.
What parts is 帝 made of?
亠 (lid) and 丷 (two spreading strokes) and 冖 (cover) and 巾 (cloth), one above the other. The recorded source is: Unicode U+5E1D; modern decomposition candidate checked against hanzi-writer-data stroke geometry (9 strokes = 亠2 + 丷2 + 冖2 + 巾3). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 帝 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 帝?
巾. 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 帝?
Common ones are 皇帝 and 上帝. The reading of 帝 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.