HanziGuru.剃 · tì
剃
tì[ti4]Tone 4

shave

HSK 7
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薙
Multiple Readings (多音字):
Guru Deep Dive

English · shave

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Left-right
Strokes:9
Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left radical (刂) narrow and compact on the left side, and position the phonetic component (弟) on the right with balanced horizontal strokes and a sweeping vertical hook.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 薙 uses the grass radical (艹) on top reflecting weeding, while the simplified form 剃 replaces it with the knife radical (刂) emphasizing the action of shaving.
1. Meaning

to shave hair or beard

to weedto scrape or clear away
VerbNeutral#grooming#action#maintenance
Sample Usage
  • 他去理发店剃胡子了。
    tā qù lǐfàdiàn tì húzi le.
    He went to the barbershop to shave his beard.
  • 小伙子剃了个光头。
    xiǎohuǒzi tì le gè guāngt tóu.
    The young man shaved his head bald.
2. Sound
/[tʰi⁵¹]/Tone: 51
剃
tìti4
++
`(51)
=tì
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
ti
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "i" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
t
Type: Aspirated Alveolar
Sounds like: t sound as in 'tea'
Aspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Explosive puff of breath! Tissue held before mouth MUST flutter.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge behind the upper teeth, releasing a burst of breath.
Final Rhyme
i
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: -ee rhyme as in 'see'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ee'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T4 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and plunges straight down, exactly like shouting 'NO!' or issuing a sharp command.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse with tí (Tone 2 rising, like 'tasting tea upwards'), which sounds questioning.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Chop your hand downward sharply from high to low like a razor blade cutting through hair.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 9 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left radical (刂) narrow and compact on the left side, and position the phonetic component (弟) on the right with balanced horizontal strokes and a sweeping vertical hook.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 薙 uses the grass radical (艹) on top reflecting weeding, while the simplified form 剃 replaces it with the knife radical (刂) emphasizing the action of shaving.

4. Components

Radical 刂 · Knife Radical (knife, cutting, blade)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 刂 (Indicates cutting, scraping, or shaving with a blade.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 弟 (original sound: dì / tì)

A knife (刂) is used by a younger brother (弟) to carefully shave off hair or clear away weeds.

  • 刂 Knife / blade meaning clue
  • 弟 Di / ti phonetic sound clue
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally written with grass and blade components to mean weeding, it evolved to represent shaving hair and scraping surfaces using a sharp instrument.

Semantic Evolution: From agricultural weeding (clearing grass with a blade) to personal grooming (shaving hair with a razor).

  • Monks in ancient China shaved their heads as part of entering the Buddhist monastic order, making this character common in historical texts concerning temples.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
thế
The reading 'thế' corresponds to Chinese 'tì', sharing historical phonological alignment.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: テイ / Kun: そ.る
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
체
Sound Shift Bridge: Initial t- in Mandarin often corresponds to t- or th- in cognate structures across East Asian linguistic strata.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Armed with a sharp knife (刂), the younger brother (弟) decides to shave (tì) his head completely smooth.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
弟
dìyounger brotherPhonetic Core (声旁)
梯
tīladder+ 木 (tree)
递
dìto hand over, to pass on, to deliver, progressively+ 辶 (walking)
涕
tìtears; nasal mucus+ 氵 (water)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
弟(dì)
Missing the knife radical (刂) on the left.
梯(tī)
Uses the wood radical (木) instead of the knife radical (刂).
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
他每天早上都要[___]胡子。
Clue: tì
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the simplified knife radical (刂) with the similar-looking heart or water radicals, or mixing up the tone with 'tí' (rising tone).

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 剃, what action does it describe?
Production: How do you write the character for 'to shave' (tì) using a knife radical and a phonetic part?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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