掉 meaning and stroke order
To fall; to drop; to lag behind
How to write 掉, 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 掉
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to fall
- to drop
- to lag behind
- to lose
- to go missing
- to reduce
How 掉 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 卓 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 掉
掉 is a hand 扌 next to 卓 (zhuó), which gives the sound. Picture a hand letting go of something so it drops.
掉 means to fall or drop, as in 手机掉了 (shǒujī diào le, the phone fell). It is very common after another verb to show something is gone or removed, like 关掉 (guāndiào, switch off), 忘掉 (wàngdiào, forget) and 去掉 (qùdiào, get rid of). Example: 把灯关掉。(Bǎ dēng guāndiào.) Turn off the light.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 掉 with 桌 (zhuō, table), because both contain the 卓 shape. 掉 has the hand radical 扌 on the left, while 桌 has 木 at the bottom. Also keep the fourth tone: diào, not diāo.
Common words with 掉
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 去掉 | qùdiào | to get rid of; to exclude | HSK 6 |
| 关掉 | guāndiào | to switch off; to shut off | HSK 7-9 |
| 忘掉 | wàngdiào | to forget | HSK 7-9 |
| 丢掉 | diūdiào | to lose; to throw away | HSK 7-9 |
| 掉头 | diàotóu | to turn one's head; to turn round | HSK 7-9 |
| 掉队 | diàoduì | to fall behind; to drop out | HSK 7-9 |
| 干掉 | gàndiào | to get rid of | |
| 杀掉 | shādiào | to kill | |
| 吃掉 | chīdiào | to eat up; to consume | |
| 毁掉 | huǐdiào | to destroy | |
| 脱掉 | tuōdiào | to remove; to take off | |
| 卖掉 | màidiào | to sell off | |
| 扔掉 | rēngdiào | to throw away; to throw out | |
| 除掉 | chúdiào | to eliminate |
掉 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 掉
How many strokes are in 掉?
掉 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 掉 mean?
掉 (diào) means to fall; to drop; to lag behind. A common word with it is 去掉 (qùdiào), meaning "to get rid of; to exclude".
How do you pronounce 掉?
掉 is pronounced diào, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 掉?
The radical of 掉 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 掉 under this radical.
Is 掉 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 掉 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What is the difference between 掉 and 落 for falling?
掉 is the everyday spoken word for things dropping, like keys or a phone. 落 (luò) sounds more formal or literary and is used for leaves, the sun setting, or rain falling.
Why do so many verbs end in 掉?
As a verb complement, 掉 shows that an action makes something disappear or leave. For example, 吃掉 (chīdiào) means to eat something up, and 卖掉 (màidiào) means to sell something off.