How to Write 娣 (dì) — Meaning “younger sister-in-law (husband's younger brother's wife)”

Picture a woman (女) standing next to her younger brother (弟). The brother is holding a sign that says "dì" to remind you of the pronunciation. This image helps you connect the character to "younger sister-in-law."

Write the left radical 女 first, making sure it is narrow and slanted. Then write the right side 弟, paying attention to the stroke order: dot, left-falling, horizontal, horizontal, vertical-hook, vertical, left-falling. A common mistake is making the 女 too wide or misplacing the vertical stroke in 弟.

妮 (ní) means a young girl or is used in girl's names — it has no family-relation meaning. 妯 (zhóu) refers to a wife of an elder brother, or is used in 妯娌 for sisters-in-law in general. In contrast, 娣 specifically means the wife of a younger brother, with the 弟 component clearly showing "younger brother."

娣 is rarely used in everyday conversation; it is a formal or literary term for "younger sister-in-law" (husband's younger brother's wife). In modern Chinese, people usually say 弟媳 (dì xí) instead. The character still appears in traditional family contexts or historical texts.

Common words containing 娣 include: 娣姒 (dì sì) — sisters-in-law (wives of brothers); 娣妇 (dì fù) — younger brother's wife; younger sister-in-law; 娣女 (dì nǚ) — younger sister; girl.