How to Write 的 (de/dī/dí/dì) — Meaning “possessive particle / of”

Imagine a white spoon (白 on the left, 勺 on the right) that belongs to you — this 'white spoon' mnemonic reminds you that 的 is a possessive particle. For example, 我的 (my) means 'my white spoon'. This visual link makes the character easy to recall.

Write the left radical 白 first (5 strokes: left-falling, vertical, horizontal fold, horizontal, horizontal), then the right part 勺 (3 strokes: left-falling, horizontal fold hook, dot). A common mistake is forgetting the dot inside 勺 or making the 白 too wide — keep both sides balanced and the dot clear.

百 (hundred) has a horizontal line under 白, while 皂 (soap) has 白 on top with a different bottom (匕). In contrast, 的 has 白 on the left and 勺 on the right. Focus on the right side 勺 with its dot to distinguish 的 from the others.

的 is the most common character in Chinese, used as a possessive particle (e.g., 我的 'my') and to link adjectives to nouns (e.g., 好的 'good'). It also appears in the word 目的 (mù dì, 'purpose'), where it has a different pronunciation. Mastering 的 is essential because it appears in almost every sentence.

Common words containing 的 include: 我的 (wǒ de) — My / Mine; 好的 (hǎo de) — okay; alright; 目的 (mù dì) — Purpose / Goal.