堕 meaning and stroke order
To drop, to fall, to sink; degenerate
How to write 堕, 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 堕
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to fall; to sink
- (fig.) to degenerate
How 堕 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Earth.
土 gives the meaning and 陏 hints at the sound.
Radical: 土 (soil), shared by 183 characters on this site.
How to remember 堕
The top part 陏 gives the sound, and 土 (tǔ, earth) sits at the bottom. Picture something tumbling down a slope until it lands on the earth below.
堕 (duò) is mostly used in written or formal words rather than on its own. Its most common use is figurative, as in 堕落 (duòluò), falling morally. Example: 他变得很堕落。 (Tā biàn de hěn duòluò.) He has become very degenerate.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 堕 (duò) with 惰 (duò, lazy), as in 懒惰 (lǎnduò). They share the same sound and the same right side. 堕 has 土 at the bottom and means falling, while 惰 has the heart radical 忄 on the left and means laziness.
Common words with 堕
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
堕 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 堕
How many strokes are in 堕?
堕 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 堕 mean?
堕 (duò) means to drop, to fall, to sink; degenerate. A common word with it is 堕落 (duòluò), meaning "to degrade; to degenerate".
How do you pronounce 堕?
堕 is pronounced duò, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 堕?
The radical of 堕 is 土, which carries the idea of "soil". Dictionaries list 堕 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 堕?
The traditional form of 堕 is 墮. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 堕 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 堕 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 堕 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can I use 堕 to say something fell on the floor?
Not in everyday speech. For a cup falling or a person falling, use 掉 (diào) or 摔 (shuāi). 堕 sounds literary and appears mainly in fixed words like 堕落 and 堕胎.
What is the difference between 堕落 and 落后?
堕落 (duòluò) means to decline morally or degenerate, and it is a strong criticism. 落后 (luòhòu) means to fall behind or be backward in progress or development, with no moral judgment.