兜 meaning and stroke order
Pocket; bag; to wrap up or hold in a bag
How to write 兜, 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.
- 1
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- 4
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- 10
- 11
Meaning of 兜
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- bag
- to wrap up or hold in a bag
- to move in a circle
- to canvas or solicit
- to take responsibility for
How 兜 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A man wearing a helmet, now meaning "pouch".
Radical: 儿 (son), shared by 24 characters on this site.
How to remember 兜
The etymology shows a man (儿 at the bottom) wearing a helmet, with 白 wrapped in the middle like a head inside a covering. Picture something wrapped around and holding what is inside, and you get a pouch or pocket.
兜 (dōu) is most common in spoken words like 裤兜 (kùdōu, trouser pocket) and 兜儿 (dōur, pocket). It also works as a verb meaning to go around or to wrap and hold, as in 兜风 (dōufēng) and 兜圈子 (dōuquānzi). Example: 钥匙在我兜里。(Yàoshi zài wǒ dōu li.) The keys are in my pocket.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 兜 (dōu) with 都 (dōu, all) because they sound identical, and sometimes type the wrong one with pinyin input. Also keep the tone first tone, not third tone like 斗 (dǒu).
Common words with 兜
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
兜 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 兜
How many strokes are in 兜?
兜 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 兜 mean?
兜 (dōu) means pocket; bag; to wrap up or hold in a bag. A common word with it is 兜售 (dōushòu), meaning "to hawk; to peddle".
How do you pronounce 兜?
兜 is pronounced dōu, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 兜?
The radical of 兜 is 儿, which carries the idea of "son". Dictionaries list 兜 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 兜?
The traditional form of 兜 is 兠. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 兜 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 兜 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 兜 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 兜圈子 mean besides going in circles?
Literally it means to circle around, but it is often used to mean beating around the bush. 别兜圈子了 (bié dōuquānzi le) means stop beating around the bush.
Is 兜售 a neutral word for selling?
Not quite. 兜售 (dōushòu) means to peddle or hawk goods, often with a slightly negative tone, like pushing products or ideas on people. For neutral selling, use 卖 (mài) or 销售 (xiāoshòu).