滴 dī — a drop; to drip
屋檐上滴下了一颗颗水滴。Wū yán shàng dī xià le yì kē kē shuǐ dī.Drops of water dripped down from the eaves.
Common words: 滴下 (dī xià)、滴定 (dī dìng)、小滴 (xiǎo dī)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to drip"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to drip", including 滴 (dī), 淋 (lìn / lín). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to drip" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 滴 (dī), 淋 (lìn / lín) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span dī, lìn, lín — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 滴 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 滴 dīa drop; to dripUseful words: 滴下, 滴定
- 淋 lìn / líndiseases of the bladder; to drain; to dripUseful words: 淋病, 淋巴
Common words for these 2 "to drip" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 滴 (dī) — so "to drip" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "to drip".
淋 lìn / lín — diseases of the bladder; to drain; to drip
出门没带伞，他被雨淋湿了。Chū mén méi dài sǎn, tā bèi yǔ lín shī le.He went out without an umbrella and got soaked by the rain.
Common words: 淋病 (lìn bìng)、淋巴 (lín bā)、淋雨 (lín yǔ)
All 2 characters
Open 滴、淋 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.