爹 (diē) is a Chinese character meaning “dad”. It is written from 父 (father) and 多 (many; much), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “dad”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
父 + 多
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: cjkvi-ids ⿱父多（已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺核验：笔画 0–3 为父，4–9 为多）；形声：从父，多声
Memory aid
Father (父) sits on top, and many (多) sit below — think of dad with lots of kids under his care. Both parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 老爹lǎo diēdad; old man (affectionate)爹 = diē
- 爹娘diē niángfather and mother; parents (colloquial)爹 = diē
Go deeper
All readings
dad
dad; father (colloquial, common in northern speech)
父亲（口语）。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 老爹lǎo diēdad; old man (affectionate)爹 = diē
- 爹娘diē niángfather and mother; parents (colloquial)爹 = diē
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 爹 mean?
爹 (diē) means dad; father (colloquial, common in northern speech).
How do you pronounce 爹?
It is pronounced diē.
What parts is 爹 made of?
父 (father) and 多 (many; much), one above the other. The recorded source is: cjkvi-ids ⿱父多（已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺核验：笔画 0–3 为父，4–9 为多）；形声：从父，多声. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 爹 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 爹?
父. 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 爹?
Common ones are 老爹 and 爹娘. The reading of 爹 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.