How to Write 萜 (tiē) — Meaning “terpene”

Imagine a tube (萜) of grass (艹) that contains a strong-smelling plant extract — this is a terpene. The character sounds like 'tie' in English, so picture tying a plant to a tube to remember its pronunciation and meaning.

Write the top radical 艹 as three strokes: horizontal, vertical, vertical (like a cross). The bottom part 帖 has 8 strokes; note that the first stroke of 占 is a vertical line, and the right side 巾 has a central vertical stroke that should be longer than the left and right verticals. Avoid making the bottom too wide — keep it balanced under the grass radical.

萜 (tiē) has a grass radical over 帖, while 兹 (zī) is composed of 艹 and 玄, meaning 'now' or 'this'. 苧 (zhù) has 艹 over 宁 and refers to ramie fiber. Visually, the bottom parts differ: 帖 (with 占 and 巾) vs 玄 vs 宁. Use is very different — 萜 is only for chemical terms, while 兹 and 苧 have common non-chemical meanings.

萜 is a specialized character used mainly in chemistry and biochemistry to name terpenoid compounds. You will see it in scientific texts, like 萜烯 (tiē xī) for terpenes, and in terms like 单萜 (monoterpene) or 倍半萜 (sesquiterpene). It is not found in everyday conversation and is almost never used outside of organic chemistry contexts.

Common words containing 萜 include: 萜烯 (tiē xī) — terpene; 单萜 (dān tiē) — monoterpene; 倍半萜 (bèi bàn tiē) — Sesquiterpene..