爹

diē
多 + 父
HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

diē (noun) dad; father

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 父 represents the meaning and 多 represents the sound.

Semantic: 父 Phonetic: 多

About

爹 is a phono-semantic compound: 父 at the top provides the meaning "father", while 多 at the bottom indicates the sound. It emerged as a colloquial and affectionate term for one's father, distinct from the formal literary word 父. The component 多 usually means "many", but here it solely contributes a historical phonetic value that has evolved into the modern pronunciation. In some regional dialects, 爹 also refers to an elderly man or a grandfather, broadening its use beyond the immediate paternal relationship.

Example Sentences Hide

我爹是老师。

Wǒ diē shì lǎoshī.

My dad is a teacher.

爹的头发白了。

Diē de tóufa bái le.

Dad's hair has turned white.

我爹每天锻炼身体。

Wǒ diē měitiān duànliàn shēntǐ.

My dad exercises every day.

爹妈一起去了公园。

Diē mā yīqǐ qù le gōngyuán.

My parents went to the park together.

我爹给我讲了一个故事。

Wǒ diē gěi wǒ jiǎng le yī gè gùshì.

My dad told me a story.

爹虽然年纪大，但身体很健康。

Diē suīrán niánjì dà, dàn shēntǐ hěn jiànkāng.

Although dad is old, he is very healthy.

我爹在工作中取得了很大成就。

Wǒ diē zài gōngzuò zhōng qǔdé le hěn dà chéngjiù.

My dad has achieved great success in his work.

每当我想起爹的教诲，我就更加努力地学习。

Měi dāng wǒ xiǎng qǐ diē de jiàohuì, wǒ jiù gèngjiā nǔlì de xuéxí.

Whenever I think of my dad's teachings, I study harder.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

嗲

Component: 多

够 移 侈 哆 夥 黟 迻 眵 夠 奓 栘 袲 誃

Component: 父

交 爷 爸 斧 釜 㳇 爺

Example Words

老爹 干爹 公爹 坑爹 拼爹 沙爹 爹地 爹娘 爹爹 阿爹