墮 meaning and stroke order
To drop, to fall, to sink; degenerate
How to write 墮, stroke by stroke
14 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 墮
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to fall; to sink
- (fig.) to degenerate
How 墮 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Earth.
土 gives the meaning and 隋 hints at the sound.
Radical: 土 (soil), shared by 183 characters on this site.
How to remember 墮
墮 is pictophonetic: 隋 (suí) on top gives the sound, and 土 (earth) at the bottom gives the meaning. Picture something tumbling down until it hits the earth 土 below.
墮 is the traditional form, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong. It is rarely used alone and mostly appears in set words like 墮落 (duòluò, to degenerate) and 墮胎 (duòtāi, abortion). Example: 他越來越墮落了。(Tā yuè lái yuè duòluò le.) He is becoming more and more degenerate.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 墮 (duò, to fall) with 惰 (duò, lazy, as in 懶惰 lǎnduò), since they share the same sound. Remember that 墮 has 土 for falling to the ground, while 惰 has 忄 for a lazy heart.
Common words with 墮
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 墮
How many strokes are in 墮?
墮 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 墮 mean?
墮 (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 墮?
墮 is pronounced duò, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 墮?
The radical of 墮 is 土, which carries the idea of "soil". Dictionaries list 墮 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 墮?
墮 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 堕, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 墮 and 掉 when talking about falling?
掉 (diào) is the everyday word for things physically dropping, like 東西掉了 (the thing fell). 墮 is more formal and literary, and today it mostly carries the figurative sense of moral decline, as in 墮落.
Is 墮落 always negative?
Yes, 墮落 describes someone sinking into bad habits or a worse moral state, so it is a criticism. People sometimes use it jokingly about themselves, for example after a lazy weekend of snacks and TV.