甜 (tián) is a Chinese character meaning “sweet (taste)”. It is written from 舌 (tongue) and 甘 (sweet), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “sweet”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
舌 + 甘
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字（甜，美也。从甘从舌）；hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1–6 笔与「舌」一致，第 7–11 笔与「甘」一致
Memory aid
Put something sweet (甘) on your tongue (舌) and you taste it: sweet.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 甜点tián diǎndessert; sweet snack甜 = tián
- 甜蜜tián mìsweet; happy (of feelings, life)甜 = tián
Go deeper
All readings
sweet
sweet (taste); pleasant; sound (of sleep)
像糖或蜜的味道；也形容感到幸福、舒服，睡得香。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 甜点tián diǎndessert; sweet snack甜 = tián
- 甜蜜tián mìsweet; happy (of feelings, life)甜 = tián
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 甜 mean?
甜 (tián) means sweet (taste); pleasant; sound (of sleep).
How do you pronounce 甜?
It is pronounced tián.
What parts is 甜 made of?
舌 (tongue) and 甘 (sweet), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字（甜，美也。从甘从舌）；hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1–6 笔与「舌」一致，第 7–11 笔与「甘」一致. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 甜 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 甜?
甘. 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 甜?
Common ones are 甜点 and 甜蜜. The reading of 甜 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.