Pinyin Syllable
Chinese characters pronounced di
Learn common Chinese characters pronounced di, including 的 de / dí / dì, 第 dì, 提 tí / dī, 敌 dí, 底 de / dǐ. Compare tones, meanings, traditional forms, words…
How to Pronounce This Syllable
di joins the initial d to the final i in one motion — say it as a single Mandarin beat with the tone over it, not as English letters in a row.
Initial d
Start the syllable on the initial d, then run straight into the final i — keep them joined instead of sounding out separate English letters.
Final i
After zh, ch, sh, r, z, c, s, this i is not the clear “ee” in see.
Study Tip
Start with the most common characters (的 de / dí / dì, 第 dì, 提 tí / dī, 敌 dí, 底 de / dǐ) and lock in their tones. 15 common characters share the sound di, so lean on words to tell the rest apart.
Learn by Tone
di turns up here with 5 different tones; a change of tone usually means a different character, so the groups below are split by tone.
1st tone
Taking the 1st tone here: 低, 滴, 堤 (3 in total). Lock this tone in your ear before the meaning.
2nd tone
Taking the 2nd tone here: 提, 敌, 迪… (4 in total). Lock this tone in your ear before the meaning.
3rd tone
Taking the 3rd tone here: 抵 (1 in total). Lock this tone in your ear before the meaning.
4th tone
Taking the 4th tone here: 第, 帝, 弟… (5 in total). Lock this tone in your ear before the meaning.
5
Taking the 5 here: 的, 底 (2 in total). Lock this tone in your ear before the meaning.
Common Words With This Sound
Seeing di inside whole words makes it clear which character is meant — here are common ones.
Characters
15 common characters in this group.