How to write 体 (tǐ, “body”)

体 (tǐ), an HSK 2 character, means “body”, “form” and “style”. It is HSK 2 in the 2025 syllabus, up from level 1 in the 2021 standard. The traditional form is 體, 23 strokes instead of 7. Among the HSK words it appears in 身体 (“the body”), 体育 (“sports”) and 体育馆 (“gym”). Japanese reads it tai, “body”, as a JLPT N4 kanji.

Pinyin: tǐ
Strokes: 7
HSK: 2
Radical: 亻 (“person”)
Traditional: 體

Stroke by stroke

As a left-right character it splits into 亻 (“person”, the radical), strokes 1–2; 本 (“root”), strokes 3–7, written the left part first.

Left-falling stroke ㇒top leftdown and left
Vertical ㇑leftdownwards
Horizontal ㇐top leftrightwards
Vertical ㇑topdownwards
Left-falling stroke ㇒topdown and left
Right-falling stroke ㇏topdown and right
Horizontal ㇐bottomrightwards

Names of the strokes

Japanese and Chinese

Japanese and Chinese draw all 7 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.

Japanese · KanjiVG · 7 strokes

Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 7 strokes

Traditional form

Simplified: 体 · 7 strokes
Traditional: 體 · 23 strokes · see its strokes

Simplified vs traditional

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Pinyin and meaning

Pinyin	Meanings	Traditional	In words
tǐ third tone	body; form; style; system; substance	體	身体体育体育馆体重

HSK 2025 syllabus: level 2
2021 standard: level 1
HSK 2.0: in a level 2 word
Words with it: 500 in CC-CEDICT

Words with 体

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
身体身體	shēntǐ	the body; one's health HSK 2
体育體育	tǐyù	sports; physical education HSK 3
体育馆體育館	tǐyùguǎn	gym; gymnasium HSK 3
体重體重	tǐzhòng	body weight HSK 4
体温體溫	tǐwēn	(body) temperature HSK 4
人体人體	réntǐ	human body HSK 5
体会體會	tǐhuì	to know from experience; to learn through experience HSK 5
体现體現	tǐxiàn	to embody; to reflect HSK 5
体力體力	tǐlì	physical strength; physical power HSK 5
全体全體	quántǐ	all; entire HSK 5

HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).

Practice sheet

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Keep going

HSK 2, in list order: