How to Write 天 (tiān) — Meaning “Sky / Day / Heaven”

Imagine a big person (大) stretching their arms wide under a single line that represents the sky above them. This picture helps you recall that 天 means sky or day.

Write the two horizontal strokes first—the top one shorter, the bottom one slightly longer—then add the left-falling and right-falling strokes. A common mistake is making the second horizontal stroke too short or not spreading the lower strokes evenly, which makes it look like 大 (big) with an extra line.

天 has two horizontal strokes at the top, while 大 has only one. 买 has a hook (横钩) at the top and two dots inside, so it looks very different. In meaning, 天 means sky or day, 大 means big, and 买 means to buy.

You see 天 in common words like 今天 (today), 天气 (weather), and 每天 (every day). Culturally, 天 represents Heaven in Chinese philosophy and is a very important concept, often used in expressions like 'as high as the sky.'

Common words containing 天 include: 今天 (jīn tiān) — Today; 天气 (tiān qì) — Weather; 每天 (měi tiān) — Every day.