How to Write 订 (dìng) — Meaning “to book; to order; to subscribe”

Q: Can you give me a creative memory trick to remember 订?

Imagine you are using your words (讠) to hammer a nail (丁) into a reservation, fixing it in place. Picture yourself saying "I book this!" while driving a nail to lock the plan.

Q: What are important writing tips for 订?

First write 讠: a dot then a diagonal stroke. Then write 丁: a horizontal line, a vertical hook (curved, not straight), and a dot at the top right. A common mistake is making the vertical hook too straight or forgetting the dot.

Q: How can I tell 订 apart from similar characters like 计?

订 has 丁 on the right, meaning "nail" or "strong," and is used for booking or ordering. 计 has 十 (ten) on the right and means "to calculate" or "to plan." Just remember: 订 nails down a reservation; 计 counts numbers.

Q: When and how is 订 used in modern Chinese?

订 is very common for making reservations and orders, like 订票 (book tickets) and 订饭 (order food). You will see it on apps like Meituan or Ctrip, and it is also used for subscriptions (订阅) in magazines or online services.

Q: What common words use 订?

Common words containing 订 include: 订票 (dìng piào) — to book tickets; 订饭 (dìng fàn) — to order food; 订位 (dìng wèi) — to make a reservation.

dìng HSK Level 3 4 strokes Radical: 讠

订 (dìng) means "to book; to order; to subscribe" in Chinese. It has 4 strokes with the radical 讠, and is HSK Level 3.

Rated 2.4/5 in difficulty (moderate).

Harder than 9% of HSK Level 3 characters.

Appears in 3+ common words including 订票 (dìng piào), 订饭 (dìng fàn), 订位 (dìng wèi).

Hanzi Writer's stroke validation shows learners typically need 5-8 attempts to write 订 with correct proportion and order.

Practice Writing 订 (dìng)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 订 with real-time feedback.

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How to Write 订

The character 订 (dìng) is written with 4 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 讠 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does dìng (订) Mean in Chinese?

订 means to book; to order; to subscribe.

As an HSK Level 3 character, 订 is an intermediate-level character.

Character Data

Character	订
Pinyin	dìng (ding)
Meaning	to book; to order; to subscribe
Strokes	4
Radical	讠
HSK Level	3
Difficulty	2.4/5

Origin of 订

订 (dìng) is a compound character with the speech radical 讠 (simplified from 言, meaning words) and the phonetic component 丁 (dīng, meaning 'nail' or 'male adult'). The combination suggests 'nailing down words'—fixing an agreement through speech, like booking or ordering.

💡 Memory Tip: Imagine you're hammering a nail (丁) into a reservation slip while speaking (讠) to confirm your order: 'I'm nailing it down!'

Common Words with 订

订票 dìng piào

to book tickets

订饭 dìng fàn

to order food

订位 dìng wèi

to make a reservation

Example Sentences

我已经在手机上操作好了，不用去现场订票。

wǒ yǐ jīng zài shǒu jī shàng cāo zuò hǎo le ， bù yòng qù xiàn chǎng dìng piào 。

I have already finished the operation on my phone; there is no need to go to the site to book tickets.

我们中午订饭吃吧。

wǒ men zhōng wǔ dìng fàn chī ba

Let's order food for lunch.

你去餐厅订位了吗？

nǐ qù cān tīng dìng wèi le ma

Did you make a reservation at the restaurant?

Similar Characters Comparison

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Radical
订 (current)	dìng	4	讠
计	jì	4	讠
讣	fù	4	讠
认	rèn	4	讠

Practice Writing 订 (dìng)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 订 with real-time feedback.

✨ Animated stroke order · Handwriting recognition · HSK-graded practice · Free to use

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Frequently Asked Questions about 订

What is the structure of 订 and how do its components relate to its meaning?

The left side 讠 means "speech" or "words," and the right side 丁 (dīng) gives the pronunciation. Together, they suggest using speech to arrange something—like booking or ordering.

Can you give me a creative memory trick to remember 订?

What are important writing tips for 订?

How can I tell 订 apart from similar characters like 计?

When and how is 订 used in modern Chinese?

What common words use 订?

How to Write 订 (dìng) — Meaning “to book; to order; to subscribe”

Practice Writing 订 (dìng)

How to Write 订

What Does dìng (订) Mean in Chinese?

Character Data

Origin of 订

Common Words with 订

Example Sentences

Similar Characters Comparison

Practice Writing 订 (dìng)

Frequently Asked Questions about 订

More HSK Level 3 Characters

Characters with Radical 讠

Other 4-Stroke Characters