拓 meaning and stroke order
To develop, to expand, to open up
How to write 拓, stroke by stroke
8 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
- 7
- 8
Meaning of 拓
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to make a rubbing (e.g. of an inscription)
- to expand
- to push sth with the hand
- to develop
- to open up
How 拓 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 石 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 拓
A hand 扌 pushing against a stone 石: you clear rocks by hand to open up new land, which is the idea of expanding. The stone also hints at the other meaning, pressing paper onto a stone inscription to make a rubbing.
Pronounced tuò, it means to expand or open up and appears mostly in words like 开拓 (kāituò) and 拓展 (tuòzhǎn). Pronounced tà, it means to make a rubbing of an inscription. Example: 公司想拓展海外市场。(Gōngsī xiǎng tuòzhǎn hǎiwài shìchǎng.) The company wants to expand into overseas markets.
Common mistake: Learners often read 开拓 and 拓展 with tà, but in these words the reading is tuò. Tà is only for the rubbing sense, as in 拓片 (tàpiàn).
Common words with 拓
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
拓 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 拓
How many strokes are in 拓?
拓 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 拓 mean?
拓 (tà) means to develop, to expand, to open up. A common word with it is 开拓 (kāituò), meaning "to break new ground (for agriculture); to open up (a new seam)".
How do you pronounce 拓?
拓 is pronounced tà, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 拓?
The radical of 拓 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 拓 under this radical.
Is 拓 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 拓 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Which pronunciation of 拓 is more common, tuò or tà?
Tuò is far more common in everyday Chinese because it covers expanding and developing. Tà mostly appears in calligraphy, archaeology and museum contexts.
What is the difference between 拓展 and 扩展?
Both mean to expand. 拓展 (tuòzhǎn) often suggests opening up new areas, like markets or horizons, while 扩展 (kuòzhǎn) more often means enlarging something that already exists, like a file or a network.