顶夸克是目前发现最重的夸克，其质量为173.1±1.3GeV/c，质子的质量也不过938MeV。和其他夸克一样，顶夸克属于费米子，具有⁄₂的自旋，带有+⁄₃电荷。 顶夸克的反粒子被称为反顶夸克，两者质量相同。顶夸克通过强作用力同其他基本粒子相作用，通过弱力衰变为W玻色子和底夸克，有时也会衰变为奇夸克。顶夸克可以衰变为下夸克，但这种情况非常罕见。根据标准模型的预测顶夸克的寿命仅为5×10s不过顶夸克极短的寿命使得其来不及在强相互作用力的影响下形成强子，这给科学们提供了一个观测独立夸克的机会。顶夸克的存在在某种程度上也为日后发现希格斯子提供了理论上的可能性。

The top quark, also known as the t quark (symbol: t) or truth quark, is the most massive of all observed elementary particles. Like all quarks, the top quark is an elementary fermion with spin-⁄₂, and experiences all four fundamental interactions: gravitation, electromagnetism, weak interactions, and strong interactions. It has an electric charge of +⁄₃ e, It has a massive mass of 173.34 ± 0.27 (stat) ± 0.71 (syst)7000100000000000000♠10 GeV/c, which is about the same mass as an atom of tungsten. The antiparticle of the top quark is the top antiquark (symbol: t, sometimes called antitop quark or simply antitop), which differs from it only in that some of its properties have equal magnitude but opposite sign.