惕 (tì) is a Chinese character meaning “cautious”. It is written from 忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 易 (easy; to change), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “alert; wary”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
忄 + 易
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（⿰忄易），已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：左「忄」3 画 + 右「易」8 画 = 11 画；「忄」是「心」的左偏旁形，与心理状态相关，「易 yì」与「惕 tì」韵母与声调相同、声母不同，判为声符。只描述今形构成，不追溯上古来源。
Memory aid
Things change easily (易), so the heart (忄) stays on watch — that is 惕, to be alert and wary.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 警惕jǐng tìto be on guard; vigilant; vigilance惕 = tì
Go deeper
All readings
alert; wary
cautious; watchful; on one's guard
小心谨慎，对危险保持警觉。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 警惕jǐng tìto be on guard; vigilant; vigilance惕 = tì
Sound component
易 family onset shift
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 惕 mean?
惕 (tì) means cautious; watchful; on one's guard.
How do you pronounce 惕?
It is pronounced tì.
What parts is 惕 made of?
忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 易 (easy; to change), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（⿰忄易），已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：左「忄」3 画 + 右「易」8 画 = 11 画；「忄」是「心」的左偏旁形，与心理状态相关，「易 yì」与「惕 tì」韵母与声调相同、声母不同，判为声符。只描述今形构成，不追溯上古来源。. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 惕 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 惕?
忄. 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 惕?
Common ones are 警惕. The reading of 惕 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.