搗 meaning and stroke order
To thresh, to pound; to stir, to disturb; to attack
How to write 搗, stroke by stroke
13 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 搗
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to pound
- to beat
- to hull
- to attack
- to disturb
- to stir
How 搗 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 島 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 搗
搗 combines the hand 扌 with 島 (dǎo, island), which gives the sound. Picture a hand pounding away on an island, beating grain until it is hulled.
搗 is the traditional form of 捣, and it appears mostly in compounds like 搗亂 (dǎoluàn, to make trouble), 搗蛋 (dǎodàn, to be naughty) and 搗毀 (dǎohuǐ, to smash). The literal sense of pounding shows up in cooking and medicine, such as pounding garlic. Example: 別搗亂。(Bié dǎoluàn.) Stop making trouble.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 搗 (dǎo) with 倒 (dǎo, to fall over) or 導 (dǎo, to guide) because they share the same sound and tone. Remember that only 搗 has the hand radical 扌, since pounding is done by hand.
Common words with 搗
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 搗
How many strokes are in 搗?
搗 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 搗 mean?
搗 (dǎo) means to thresh, to pound; to stir, to disturb; to attack. A common word with it is 捣乱 (dǎoluàn), meaning "to disturb; to look for trouble".
How do you pronounce 搗?
搗 is pronounced dǎo, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 搗?
The radical of 搗 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 搗 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 搗?
搗 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 捣, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 搗蛋鬼 mean, and is it rude?
搗蛋鬼 (dǎodànguǐ) means a troublemaker or little rascal. It is usually playful and often said about mischievous children, not a serious insult.
Can 搗 be used alone as a verb?
Yes, in the literal sense of pounding, for example 搗蒜 (dǎo suàn, to pound garlic) or 搗藥 (dǎo yào, to pound medicine). For the sense of making trouble, it is almost always used in compounds like 搗亂 or 搗蛋.