How many strokes does the Chinese character "天" (tiān) have?
"天" has 4 strokes in Simplified Chinese. Its primary dictionary radical is 大, and you can animate or practice writing every stroke in order using the interactive grid on this page.
Ready · 4 strokes
Speed:
Nature & Elements
Name: Good with Pairing
Tattoo: Better in a Phrase
天 Sky in Chinese (tiān)
Dictionary Summary
天 (tiān) means day; sky; heaven. Simplified form has 4 strokes under radical 大.
Pinyin & Tonetiān (Tone 1)
Simplified / Trad.天 / 天
Radical大
Total Strokes4 strokes
StructureTop–Bottom (一 + 大)
Unicode / LevelU+5929 · HSK 1
Native Naming & Tattoo Safety Review
🪪 Using “天” in a Chinese Name · Good with Pairing (Masculine-leaning)
Grand and open-hearted when paired cleanly (e.g., 天宇, 天佑, 天朗). Avoid overly literal phrases like 天天 (every day).
✒️ Using “天” for a Tattoo · Better in a Phrase
Because 天 also simply means 'day' (今天 today), standalone 天 feels incomplete. Use 天道 (the Way of Heaven) or 海阔天空 (boundless sky and sea).
Character Etymology & CC-CEDICT Meanings
Origin & Visual Logic: Depicts a person (大) with a horizontal line marking the vast heavens above the crown of the head.
| Traditional / Simplified | Pinyin | CC-CEDICT Definitions |
|---|---|---|
| 天 / 天 | tiān | day; sky; heaven |
Lexical entries derived from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Make Me a Hanzi (APL / LGPL-3.0).
Common Words & Idioms Using “天”
| Chinese Word | Pinyin | English Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 天空 | tiānkōng | sky | |
| 天下 | tiānxià | all under heaven; the world | |
| 天然 | tiānrán | natural; uncontrived |
English Names Using “天” in Our Curated Recommendations
See how native speakers pair 天 (tiān) into modern Chinese names:
Frequently Asked Questions
Is "天" good to use in a real Chinese name?
Rating: Good with Pairing (Masculine-leaning). Grand and open-hearted when paired cleanly (e.g., 天宇, 天佑, 天朗). Avoid overly literal phrases like 天天 (every day).
Is "天" safe as a Chinese character tattoo?
Tattoo rating: Better in a Phrase. Because 天 also simply means 'day' (今天 today), standalone 天 feels incomplete. Use 天道 (the Way of Heaven) or 海阔天空 (boundless sky and sea).