涕 (tì) is a Chinese character meaning “tears (literary)”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 弟 (younger brother), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “tears; snot”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
氵 + 弟
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字「涕，泣也。从水弟聲」；IDS 拆分 ⿰氵弟，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–9 与「弟」逐笔对应（3+7=10画）
Memory aid
Water (氵) running down the face of a little brother (弟) who is crying — tears and a runny nose.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 鼻涕bí tìnasal mucus; snot涕 = tì
- 痛哭流涕tòng kū liú tìto weep bitterly涕 = tì
Go deeper
All readings
tears; nasal mucus
tears (literary); snot, nasal mucus (as in 鼻涕)
眼泪（书面语）；鼻涕，鼻腔分泌的液体。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 鼻涕bí tìnasal mucus; snot涕 = tì
- 痛哭流涕tòng kū liú tìto weep bitterly涕 = tì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 涕 mean?
涕 (tì) means tears (literary); snot, nasal mucus (as in 鼻涕).
How do you pronounce 涕?
It is pronounced tì.
What parts is 涕 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 弟 (younger brother), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字「涕，泣也。从水弟聲」；IDS 拆分 ⿰氵弟，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–9 与「弟」逐笔对应（3+7=10画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 涕 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 涕?
氵. 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 涕?
Common ones are 鼻涕 and 痛哭流涕. The reading of 涕 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.