How to Write 庭 (tíng) — Meaning “Court; courtyard; front yard”

Imagine a wide courtyard (广) where a royal court (廷) holds meetings under a roof. Picture the top part as the eaves of a building, and the bottom part as the formal gathering space. This visual links the character's shape to its meaning of 'court' or 'courtyard'.

The radical 广 should be written first with a broad left-falling stroke, then the dot on top. Inside, the lower part 廷 has a horizontal stroke that must not extend too far left, and the final stroke (捺) should be written after the vertical stroke. A common mistake is making the 广 too narrow or the bottom part too tall, so keep the proportions balanced.

㢆 (a rare character meaning 'a kind of building' or 'shelter') is almost never used in modern Chinese, while 庇 (bì) means 'to shelter' or 'protect'. In contrast, 庭 is common and specifically refers to a courtyard, court, or open area. Visually, 庇 has a component 比 below, while 庭 has 廷.

庭 appears in common words like 家庭 (family, literally 'home courtyard') and 法庭 (courtroom). In Chinese culture, a courtyard (庭院) is a traditional architectural feature symbolizing harmony between indoor and outdoor space. The word 家庭 emphasizes the home as a shared, open space for family life.

Common words containing 庭 include: 家庭 (jiā tíng) — Family / Household; 法庭 (fǎ tíng) — Court; courtroom; 庭院 (tíng yuàn) — courtyard.