唾 meaning and stroke order
To spit; to spit on; saliva
How to write 唾, 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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- 11
Meaning of 唾
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- saliva
- to spit
How 唾 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 垂 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 唾
The mouth 口 on the left shows the meaning, and 垂 (chuí, to hang down) on the right gives the sound. Picture saliva hanging down from a mouth, and you have 唾 (tuò), to spit or saliva.
唾 rarely stands alone in everyday speech. It usually appears in words like 唾液 (tuòyè, saliva), 唾沫 (tuòmo, spittle), and the figurative 唾弃 (tuòqì, to spurn). Example: 这个机会唾手可得。(Zhège jīhuì tuòshǒukědé.) This opportunity is easy to get.
Common mistake: Learners often read 唾 as chuí because of the phonetic part 垂, but it is pronounced tuò with a falling fourth tone. Also do not confuse it with 睡 (shuì, to sleep), which has 目 (eye) on the left instead of 口 (mouth).
Common words with 唾
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 唾液 | tuòyè | saliva | HSK 7-9 |
| 唾弃 | tuòqì | to spurn; to disdain | |
| 唾沫 | tuòmo | spittle; saliva | |
| 唾手可得 | tuòshǒukědé | easily obtained; readily available |
Questions about 唾
How many strokes are in 唾?
唾 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 唾 mean?
唾 (tuò) means to spit; to spit on; saliva. A common word with it is 唾液 (tuòyè), meaning "saliva".
How do you pronounce 唾?
唾 is pronounced tuò, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 唾?
The radical of 唾 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 唾 under this radical.
Is 唾 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 唾 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the everyday word for spitting in Chinese?
In daily speech people usually say 吐口水 (tǔ kǒushuǐ) or 吐痰 (tǔ tán, to spit phlegm). 唾 sounds more formal or written, as in 唾液 in a biology class.
Why does 唾手可得 mean easily obtained?
The idiom comes from the image of spitting on your hands before grabbing something. The task is so easy that it takes no more effort than that, so it means something is within easy reach.