How to Write 滴 (dī) — Meaning “drop; to drip”

Imagine a water droplet (氵) falling from a tall roof — the right side 啇 looks like a house with a pointy top and a water drop inside. Picture a single drop dripping down, and you can remember that 滴 means 'drop' or 'to drip'. This visual helps link the water radical to the action.

Write the water radical 氵 first with three dots in a smooth diagonal line. Then the right side 啇 starts with a dot at the top, followed by horizontal and vertical strokes — be careful not to add an extra stroke inside the 'mouth' shape (口). A common mistake is making the 氵 too wide; keep it narrow so the whole character stays balanced.

渝 (yú) means 'change' or is used in place names like 重庆 (Chongqing); it has the same water radical but the right side is 俞 (yú). 渡 (dù) means 'to cross (a river)' with the right side 度 (dù). Unlike these, 滴 always involves small amounts of liquid falling, and its right component 啇 is unique and not shared with those characters.

滴 is commonly used for liquids falling in drops, like 水滴 (water drop) or 滴眼液 (eye drops). It can also be a measure word for small quantities, such as 一滴水 (a drop of water). In Chinese culture, 滴水穿石 (dī shuǐ chuān shí, 'dripping water wears through stone') is a proverb about persistence.

Common words containing 滴 include: 水滴 (shuǐ dī) — Water drop / Droplet; 滴眼液 (dī yǎn yè) — eye drops; 一滴 (yī dī) — a drop.