Hanzi Writer

How to Write 鉄 (tiě) — Meaning “Iron”

tiě 13 strokes Radical: 金

鉄 (tiě) means "Iron" in Chinese. It has 13 strokes with the radical 金.

Rated 4.2/5 in difficulty (advanced).

Appears in 3+ common words including 铁路 (tiě lù), 铁锅 (tiě guō), 地铁 (dì tiě).

Due to its 13 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 鉄 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 鉄 - tiě

Practice Writing 鉄 (tiě)

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How to Write 鉄

The character 鉄 (tiě) is written with 13 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 金 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 tiě (鉄) Mean in Chinese?

鉄 means Iron.

Character Data

Character鉄
Pinyintiě (tie)
MeaningIron
Strokes13
Radical金
Difficulty4.2/5

Origin of 鉄

鉄 is a compound character with the radical 金 (metal) on the left indicating its material nature, and the right component 失 (to lose) used as a phonetic element—though the pronunciation shift from shī to tiě is irregular. Historically, the character 鐵 (iron) was simplified in some contexts to 鉄, merging the idea of a metal that can be 'lost' through rust or wear.

💡 Memory Tip: Picture a golden (金) coin slipping through your fingers—it's actually made of iron and you 'lose' (失) it as it rusts away.

Common Words with 鉄

铁路 tiě lù
railway / railroad
铁锅 tiě guō
iron pot / wok
地铁 dì tiě
Subway / Metro

Example Sentences

这条铁路很长。

zhè tiáo tiě lù hěn zhǎng

This railway is very long.

我买了一个铁锅。

wǒ mǎi le yí gè tiě guō

I bought an iron pot.

我们坐地铁去吧。

wǒ men zuò dì tiě qù ba

Let's go by subway.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
鉄 (current) tiě 13 金
鈬 duó 12 金
鉴 jiàn 13 金
銎 qióng 14 金
Stroke order practice for 鉄 - tiě

Practice Writing 鉄 (tiě)

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

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Frequently Asked Questions about 鉄

The left part 金 means 'metal' or 'gold,' which shows that iron is a type of metal. The right part 失 originally gave a pronunciation hint, though the tones are different today. Together, the structure clearly connects to the meaning of 'iron.'

Characters with Radical 金

金jīn釜fǔ鈬duó鉴jiàn銎qióng銮luán銲hàn銾hòng鋈wù錾zàn

Other 13-Stroke Characters

䧹yīng亶dǎn催cuī傺chì傻shǎ傿yàn像xiàng剽piāo剿jiǎo勤qín