ㄉ = d

ㄉ is an initial: the consonant at the start of a syllable. In pinyin it is written d.

Pinyin dIPA /t/Initial · Tongue tip2 strokesName ㄉㄜFrom 刀

How to say it

Tongue tip just behind the top teeth. Release with no puff, like t in “stop”.

Do not mix up

ㄉ has no puff of air; ㄊ releases a strong puff. See ㄊ (t) →

Where it comes from

ㄉ comes from the character 刀. Zhuyin symbols were made from parts of old characters in the 1910s.

Stroke order, step by step

Stroke order from Taiwan’s Ministry of Education. The dot shows where the new stroke starts.

Stroke 1

Stroke 2

大

ㄉㄚˋ

dà · big; large · TOCFL Novice 1

我的

ㄨㄛˇ ˙ㄉㄜ

wǒ de · my; mine

電話

ㄉㄧㄢˋ ㄏㄨㄚˋ

diàn huà · telephone; phone · TOCFL Novice 1

弟弟

ㄉㄧˋ ˙ㄉㄧ

dì di · younger brother · TOCFL Novice 1

的

˙ㄉㄜ

de · 's; of · TOCFL Novice 1

第

ㄉㄧˋ

dì · prefix for ordinal numbers; sequence · TOCFL Novice 1

Zhuyin Pro teaches ㄉ with sound, mouth diagrams, tracing and real words. Then it reminds you before you forget.