笛 (dí) is a Chinese character meaning “flute (bamboo wind instrument)”. It is written from ⺮ (bamboo radical (top form of 竹)) and 由 (from; by way of; cause), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “flute”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
⺮ + 由
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字「笛，七孔筩也。从竹由聲」；IDS 拆分 ⿱⺮由，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–5 为「⺮」，笔画 6–10 与「由」逐笔对应（6+5=11画）
Memory aid
Bamboo (⺮) on top, 由 below: a bamboo tube that music comes out from (由) — a flute.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 笛子dí zibamboo flute笛 = dí
- 汽笛qì dísteam whistle; siren (of a ship or train)笛 = dí
Go deeper
All readings
flute
flute (bamboo wind instrument); whistle; siren
横吹的管乐器，多用竹子制成；也指发出响声的装置，如汽笛。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 笛子dí zibamboo flute笛 = dí
- 汽笛qì dísteam whistle; siren (of a ship or train)笛 = dí
Sound component
由 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 笛 mean?
笛 (dí) means flute (bamboo wind instrument); whistle; siren.
How do you pronounce 笛?
It is pronounced dí.
What parts is 笛 made of?
⺮ (bamboo radical (top form of 竹)) and 由 (from; by way of; cause), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字「笛，七孔筩也。从竹由聲」；IDS 拆分 ⿱⺮由，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–5 为「⺮」，笔画 6–10 与「由」逐笔对应（6+5=11画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 笛 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 笛?
竹. 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 笛?
Common ones are 笛子 and 汽笛. The reading of 笛 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.