偷 meaning and stroke order
To steal; (bound form) thief; (bound form) secretly; on the sly
How to write 偷, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 偷
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to steal
- (bound form) thief
- (bound form) secretly; on the sly
How 偷 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Person.
亻 gives the meaning and 俞 hints at the sound.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 偷
偷 is a person 亻 on the left next to 俞, which gives the sound. Picture a person sneaking up beside something to take it while no one is looking.
偷 (tōu) means to steal, and it also means doing something secretly, as in 偷看 (tōukàn, to peek) or 偷懒 (tōulǎn, to slack off). A thief is 小偷 (xiǎotōu). Example: 我的钱包被偷了。(Wǒ de qiánbāo bèi tōu le.) My wallet was stolen.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 偷 (tōu) with 愉 (yú, happy) and 输 (shū, to lose) because all three use 俞. Check the left side: 亻 person for steal, 忄 heart for happy, 车 vehicle for lose.
Common words with 偷
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 偷偷 | tōutōu | stealthily; secretly | HSK 5 |
| 小偷儿 | xiǎotōur | erhua form of 小偷[xiao3 tou1] | HSK 5 |
| 偷看 | tōukàn | to peep; to peek | HSK 7-9 |
| 偷窥 | tōukuī | to peep; to peek | HSK 7-9 |
| 偷懒 | tōulǎn | to be lazy when effort is expected; to slack off | HSK 7-9 |
| 小偷 | xiǎotōu | thief | |
| 偷窃 | tōuqiè | to steal; to pilfer | |
| 偷听 | tōutīng | to eavesdrop; to monitor (secretly) | |
| 偷袭 | tōuxí | to mount a sneak attack; to raid | |
| 偷偷摸摸 | tōutōumōmō | (idiom) surreptitious; sneaky | |
| 偷情 | tōuqíng | to carry on a clandestine love affair | |
| 偷渡 | tōudù | illegal immigration; to stowaway (on a ship) | |
| 偷吃 | tōuchī | to sneak food; to eat sth on the sly; (coll.) to cheat on one's partner | |
| 偷拍 | tōupāi | to photograph or film sb without their knowledge or consent |
偷 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 偷
How many strokes are in 偷?
偷 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 偷 mean?
偷 (tōu) means to steal; (bound form) thief; (bound form) secretly; on the sly. A common word with it is 偷偷 (tōutōu), meaning "stealthily; secretly".
How do you pronounce 偷?
偷 is pronounced tōu, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 偷?
The radical of 偷 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 偷 under this radical.
Is 偷 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 偷 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you use 偷偷 in a sentence?
偷偷 (tōutōu) goes before a verb to mean doing it secretly. For example, 他偷偷地走了。(Tā tōutōu de zǒu le.) He quietly slipped away. It does not have to involve stealing.
What is the difference between 偷 and 偷窃?
偷 is the everyday word for steal and works in casual speech. 偷窃 (tōuqiè) is more formal and appears in news reports, laws, and official writing.