水田
水water田field=paddy field
田
田 (tián) Chinese Character: field, farmland
A square divided into four — farmland seen from the sky!
Practice 田 in the interactive lessonChinese character story: Divided Field
Imagine you're a farmer in ancient China, looking down at your fields from a hilltop. You see neat squares of land, divided by paths and irrigation channels into equal plots. That's exactly what 田 (tián) shows — a square of land, split into four by a cross. Each section is a different crop, a different season's planting. The character hasn't changed in 3,000 years because the layout of fields hasn't changed. When you write 田, you're drawing a map of farmland, seen from above, exactly as farmers saw it when they first carved this character into bone.
🧩 Word buildingSee what every part contributes
Chinese words often combine short meaning clues. Fixed expressions are clearly marked so you do not translate them too literally.
田地
田field地land=farmland
Chinese character origin and etymology
田 is documented as a basic character form. Its earlier written forms gradually became the regular-script shape used today.
In modern simplified Chinese, 田 is written with 5 strokes. This lesson separates documented shape history from the memory story so learners do not mistake a mnemonic for a historical claim. 田 works as one complete form rather than a puzzle made from smaller modern components. Learning its overall silhouette is useful because the same shape may later appear inside more complex characters.
Chinese character stroke order and structure
田 is written with 5 strokes. Learn the complete stroke sequence in the interactive lesson, then write the character from memory before checking your answer.
- 田 — field — divided land seen from above
Common usage and sentence patterns
The examples below show 田 in complete beginner-friendly sentences. Read each sentence aloud, notice where the character appears, and then replace one noun or number to create a new sentence of your own.
他在田里工作。
He works in the field.
这片田很大。
This field is very big.
农民正在田里种水稻。
The farmers are planting rice in the fields.
Learning tips for 田
Learn the reading as one unit: tián, with the second tone: rising. Avoid memorizing the letters without the tone mark. Say the syllable, recall the English meaning “field, farmland,” and write the 5 strokes from memory.
Because 田 is a basic form, focus on its proportions and stroke direction. Compare it with 男 (nán, male — strength (力) working in the field (田)); 界 (jiè, boundary — a field (田) marking the edge); 画 (huà, draw/picture — lines within a field boundary). Similar characters are easier to remember when their different parts and meanings are studied side by side.
Quick review checklist
- Can you recognize 田 without pinyin?
- Can you say tián with the correct tone and explain “field, farmland”?
- Can you write all 5 strokes in order?
- Can you use 田 in one short sentence?
Related characters
Learn 田 in a themed collection
Compare this character with related beginner words. A themed path helps you notice useful pairs, word-building patterns, and everyday contexts.
Continue learning Chinese characters
Use the Chinese radicals and components guide to understand reusable parts, the stroke order guide to improve handwriting, and the HSK 1 character overview to choose your next beginner lesson.
Sources and editorial note
HanziStory separates documented character history from modern memory stories. Historical-form images are shown only when a matching source file is available; missing stages are skipped rather than invented. Stroke practice uses HanziWriter data.
Last updated: August 12, 2026. Read our sources, editorial method, and correction policy.