How to Write 艇 (tǐng) — Meaning “Small boat / Craft”

Imagine a small boat (舟) in front of a palace courtyard (廷), like a royal yacht parked by the water. This combines the shape of the radical with the sound part. Picture the boat being "tiny" (sounds like tǐng) and floating gently.

The left radical 舟 (boat) must be written slender, with its horizontal stroke slightly rising, and the two inner dots aligned vertically. The right side 廷 has a left-moving stroke (廴) that should extend gracefully; a common mistake is making the 廴 too short or placing the 壬 part too high. Total 12 strokes, and the overall width should be balanced left and right.

艇 (tǐng) specifically means a small, often fast or specialized boat such as a speedboat or submarine, while 舨 (bǎn) refers to a kind of wooden raft or sampan. 航 (háng) means to navigate or sail, and is used for larger vessels or aviation, not for a specific type of small boat. Visually, 艇 has the radical 舟 plus 廷, while 舨 has 舟 plus 反, and 航 has 舟 plus 亢.

艇 is used in compound words for specific types of small watercraft, such as 游艇 (yacht), 快艇 (speedboat), and 潜水艇 (submarine). In Chinese culture, 游艇 is associated with luxury and leisure, while 潜水艇 is a common term for military submarines. It is not a standalone word for a general boat; use 船 (chuán) instead.

Common words containing 艇 include: 游艇 (yóu tǐng) — Yacht; 快艇 (kuài tǐng) — Speedboat; 潜水艇 (qián shuǐ tǐng) — submarine.