King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Chinese symbol for “apprentice”

徒弟
tú dì
apprentice; disciple

The closest CC-CEDICT match for apprentice is 徒弟 (tú dì), defined as: apprentice; disciple.

Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.

Characters and stroke order

徒 tú
disciple, follower; only, merely; in vain
radical 60 ⼻ · 10 strokes
弟 dì
young brother, junior
radical 57 ⼸ · 7 strokes

Other Chinese words for “apprentice”

WordPinyinMeaning
学徒 (學徒)xué túapprentice; to serve an apprenticeship
徒tú(bound form) disciple; apprentice; believer; (derog.) wrongdoer (as in 骗徒 (piàn tú) "swindler" or 叛徒 (pàn tú) "traitor" etc); (bound form) on foot
徒工tú gōngapprentice; trainee worker
练习生 (練習生)liàn xí shēng(dated, except in Taiwan) trainee; apprentice; probationary employee; (entertainment) trainee performer undergoing systematic training prior to debut (esp. in idol groups)
徒儿 (徒兒)tú érdisciple; apprentice

Related words

Other words that share a character with 徒弟.

WordPinyinMeaning
信徒xìn túbeliever
教徒jiào túdisciple; follower of a religion
徒刑tú xíngprison sentence
有期徒刑yǒu qī tú xínglimited term of imprisonment (i.e. anything less than life imprisonment)
叛徒pàn tútraitor; turncoat
兄弟xiōng dìbrothers; younger brother
弟弟dì diyounger brother; 个 (gè),位 (wèi)
弟子dì zǐdisciple; follower

See also: Japanese symbol for “apprentice”.

Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.

Last posts

  1. Best Padded Escrima Sticks for Sparring and Drill Safety
  2. Choosing the Right Escrima Stick Diameter for Your Hand Size
  3. What Length Escrima Sticks Should You Buy for Training
  4. Rattan vs Hardwood Escrima Sticks Which Is Better
  5. Best Escrima Sticks for Beginners and How to Choose Them
  6. Buying Different Staff Weights for Training and Forms
  7. Best Bo Staff Gifts for Karate Students Choosing the Right Tool
  8. Best Bags for a Six-Foot Bo Staff and Weapon Storage
  9. Choosing a Bo Staff Finish for Sweaty Hands
  10. Choosing a Padded Staff for Contact Drills That Lasts