兆 meaning and stroke order
Omen; mega-, million
How to write 兆, stroke by stroke
6 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
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- 4
- 5
- 6
Meaning of 兆
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) omen
- to foretell
- million; mega-
- (Tw) trillion; tera-
- (old) billion
How 兆 is built
Pictographic character. Cracks in oracle bones used in fortune-telling.
Radical: 儿 (son), shared by 24 characters on this site.
How to remember 兆
兆 (zhào) is a picture of the cracks that appeared on heated oracle bones, which people read to tell the future. Picture the lines spreading out from the middle like cracks, and you have an omen.
In everyday Chinese 兆 appears mostly in words about signs of the future, such as 预兆 (yùzhào), 征兆 (zhēngzhào) and 兆头 (zhàotou). It is also a number prefix meaning mega- in tech words like 兆字节 (zhào zìjié, megabyte). Example: 这是个好兆头。(Zhè shì ge hǎo zhàotou.) This is a good omen.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 兆 with 北 (běi, north), since both have a split, mirrored shape. Also watch the number meaning: in mainland China 兆 usually means million (mega-), but in Taiwan it means trillion, so check the context with large numbers.
Common words with 兆
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
兆 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 兆
Learning 兆 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 兆
How many strokes are in 兆?
兆 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 兆 mean?
兆 (zhào) means omen; mega-, million. A common word with it is 预兆 (yùzhào), meaning "omen; sign (of sth yet to occur)".
How do you pronounce 兆?
兆 is pronounced zhào, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 兆?
The radical of 兆 is 儿, which carries the idea of "son". Dictionaries list 兆 under this radical.
Is 兆 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 兆 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I say megabyte or megahertz in Chinese?
Use 兆 as the prefix: 兆字节 (zhào zìjié) is megabyte and 兆赫 (zhàohè) is megahertz. In casual speech people often just say 兆 for MB, as in 一百兆 (yìbǎi zhào), 100 MB.
What is the difference between 预兆 and 征兆?
Both mean a sign that something will happen. 预兆 (yùzhào) stresses foretelling the future, while 征兆 (zhēngzhào) often describes visible symptoms or signs, such as signs of an illness or an earthquake.