滴 (dī): to drip; to drop

Meanings

1 to drip; to drop
2 a drop (measure word for liquid)

Characters

滴

dī

a drop (of liquid); to drip

Examples

水龙头在滴水。

Shuǐlóngtóu zài dīshuǐ.

The faucet is dripping.

一滴水也没有了。

Yīdī shuǐ yě méiyǒu le.

There isn't a single drop of water left.

汗水一滴一滴地流下来。

Hànshuǐ yīdī yīdī de liúxià lái.

Sweat dripped down drop by drop.

请滴两滴眼药水。

Qǐng dī liǎng dī yǎnyàoshuǐ.

Please apply two drops of eye drops.

Tips

usage

滴 doubles as both a verb (to drip) and a measure word (a drop of). 一滴水 (a drop of water), 一滴血 (a drop of blood), 一滴泪 (a drop of tears).

memory

氵(water) + 啇 (dī, phonetic). The water radical clearly connects to drops of liquid.

Components

radical

氵 shuǐ

water (radical)

Three-drop water radical on the left — the side-stacking form of 水. Anchors 滴 firmly in liquid-action verbs. The radical itself is a tiny pictogram of three drops, perfectly fitting for the meaning: water falling drop by drop. Family: 淋 (drench), 浇 (sprinkle), 泼 (splash), 漏 (leak).

phonetic

啇 dī

(phonetic shape)

Right 啇 supplies the sound dī exactly. 啇 is rare on its own but appears as the phonetic in a productive family: 摘 (zhāi, pluck), 嫡 (dí, legitimate heir), 敌 (dí, enemy), 适 (shì, suitable). The shared rime is the giveaway. Faint semantic echo too — 啇 contains 口, hinting at the small drop-shape that falls from above.