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

HSK 2

请滴两滴眼药水。

Qǐng dī liǎng dī yǎnyàoshuǐ.

Please apply two drops of eye drops.

HSK 7-9

水龙头在滴水。

Shuǐlóngtóu zài dī shuǐ.

The faucet is dripping.

HSK 7-9

汗水一滴一滴地流下来。

Hànshuǐ yī dī yī dī de liú xiàlái.

Sweat dripped down drop by drop.

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 (standalone dí, phonetic for dī here). 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 dí

(phonetic shape)

Right 啇 supplies the sound (standalone dí, drifting to dī here). 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.