吊 meaning and stroke order
To suspend; to hang up; to hang a person
How to write 吊, 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
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Meaning of 吊
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to suspend
- to hang up
- to hang a person
- a string of 100 cash (arch.)
- to lament
- to condole with
How 吊 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 吊
Picture a cloth 巾 (jīn) hanging down from a hook shaped like 口 (kǒu) on top. Something dangling from above is 吊 (diào), to hang.
Today 吊 mostly means to hang or suspend something, as in 吊灯 (diàodēng) hanging lamp, 吊车 (diàochē) crane, and 吊床 (diàochuáng) hammock. The mourning sense survives in formal words like 吊唁 (diàoyàn) to offer condolences. Example: 天花板上吊着一盏灯。(Tiānhuābǎn shàng diàozhe yì zhǎn dēng.) A lamp is hanging from the ceiling.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 吊 (diào) with 掉 (diào, to fall or drop) because they sound the same. 吊 means something is held up and hanging, while 掉 means it comes down, so 东西掉了 (the thing fell) must not be written with 吊.
Common words with 吊
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 吊销 | diàoxiāo | to suspend (an agreement); to revoke | HSK 7-9 |
| 提心吊胆 | tíxīn-diàodǎn | (idiom) nervous; fearful; on edge | HSK 7-9 |
| 吊死 | diàosǐ | death by hanging; to hang oneself | |
| 上吊 | shàngdiào | to hang oneself | |
| 吊灯 | diàodēng | hanging lamp | |
| 吊车 | diàochē | hoist; crane | |
| 吊床 | diàochuáng | hammock | |
| 吊桥 | diàoqiáo | drawbridge; suspension bridge | |
| 吊起 | diàoqǐ | to hoist |
吊 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 吊
Learning 吊 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 吊
How many strokes are in 吊?
吊 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 吊 mean?
吊 (diào) means to suspend; to hang up; to hang a person. A common word with it is 吊销 (diàoxiāo), meaning "to suspend (an agreement); to revoke".
How do you pronounce 吊?
吊 is pronounced diào, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 吊?
The radical of 吊 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 吊 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 吊?
The traditional form of 吊 is 弔. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 吊 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 吊 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 吊 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 吊 mean in 提心吊胆?
In 提心吊胆 (tíxīn-diàodǎn), 吊 means to hang up, so the idiom literally says your heart is lifted and your gallbladder is hanging. It describes being very nervous or on edge, for example 他一路上提心吊胆的 (he was on edge the whole way).
Is 吊 a sensitive word to use?
Words like 上吊 (shàngdiào) and 吊死 (diàosǐ) refer to hanging oneself, so use them with care. In slang, 吊 is also sometimes used as a vulgar word, often written 屌, so be careful with casual phrases like 吊儿郎当 (diào'erlángdāng, careless and sloppy), which itself is fine and common.