How to Write 町 (tīng) — Meaning “Township”

Picture a field (田) with a nail (丁) stuck in the middle, marking the center of a small township. The vertical stroke of 丁 cuts through the field like a main road dividing it. This helps you visualize a town built around a field with a central marker.

Write the left half 田 first with its five strokes, then add the right half 丁 with two strokes. Make sure the horizontal stroke of 丁 aligns roughly with the middle horizontal of 田, and the vertical hook does not extend below the bottom of 田. A common mistake is making the right side too big or misaligning the horizontal lines.

田 is just the field radical by itself, meaning "field". 由 has an extra vertical stroke through the top of 田, meaning "reason" or "from". 町 is distinct because it adds the right-side component 丁 and means "township" or "path", and it is rarely used alone in Chinese except in Japanese place names.

町 is not common in everyday Chinese; you mostly encounter it in Japanese place names like 町田 (Machida) and 歌舞伎町 (Kabukicho). It can also appear in historical or literary contexts referring to a small town or district. For modern Chinese, the word 镇 (zhèn) is usually used instead of 町 for "township".

Common words containing 町 include: 町田 (tīng tián) — Machida; 歌舞伎町 (gē wǔ jì tīng) — Kabukicho (district in Tokyo); 町疃 (tīng tuǎn) — Field paths.