條 meaning and stroke order
Clause, condition; string, stripe
How to write 條, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
Meaning of 條
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- strip
- item
- article
- clause (of law or treaty)
- classifier for long thin things (ribbon, river, road, trousers etc)
How 條 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A person 亻 counting 丨; 条 provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 條
Picture a person 亻 standing next to a single stroke 丨, counting long thin sticks one by one, with 条 on the right giving the sound tiáo. Each stick is one 條, one strip or one item on a list.
條 is the traditional form of 条 and is most often used as a measure word for long, thin things like rivers, roads, fish, trousers and ribbons. It also counts items such as news stories, rules and clauses. Example: 一條河 (yì tiáo hé) a river.
Common mistake: Learners often write 條 without the middle vertical stroke 丨, which makes it look like 修 (xiū) or 倏 with the wrong parts. Also, do not use 條 for flat things like paper or tables. Those take 張 (zhāng).
Common words with 條
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 麵條兒 | miàntiáor | erhua variant of 麵條|面条[mian4 tiao2] | HSK 1 |
| 條件 | tiáojiàn | condition; circumstance; term; factor; requirement; prerequisite; qualification | HSK 2 |
| 便條 | biàntiáo | (informal) note | HSK 5 |
| 薯條 | shǔtiáo | french fries; french fried potatoes | HSK 6 |
| 條款 | tiáokuǎn | clause (of contract or law) | HSK 7-9 |
| 條約 | tiáoyuē | treaty; pact | HSK 7-9 |
| 頭條 | tóutiáo | lead story (on the news) | HSK 7-9 |
| 條例 | tiáolì | regulations; rules; code of conduct; ordinances; statutes | HSK 7-9 |
| 無條件 | wútiáojiàn | unconditional | HSK 7-9 |
| 線條 | xiàntiáo | line (in drawing, calligraphy etc); the lines or contours of a three-dimensional object (h | HSK 7-9 |
| 蕭條 | xiāotiáo | bleak; desolate; (economics) in a slump; sluggish; depressed | HSK 7-9 |
| 苗條 | miáotiao | (of a woman) slim; slender | HSK 7-9 |
| 教條 | jiàotiáo | doctrine; dogma | HSK 7-9 |
| 借條 | jiètiáo | receipt for a loan; IOU | HSK 7-9 |
Characters that contain 條
Learning 條 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 條
How many strokes are in 條?
條 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 條 mean?
條 (tiáo) means clause, condition; string, stripe. A common word with it is 面条儿 (miàntiáor), meaning "erhua variant of 麵條|面条[mian4 tiao2]".
How do you pronounce 條?
條 is pronounced tiáo, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 條?
The radical of 條 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 條 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 條?
條 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 条, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why is 條 used for both rivers and laws?
The core idea is something long and narrow, like a strip. A list of rules is written as separate lines or strips, so each clause or item is also counted with 條, as in 一條規定 (yì tiáo guīdìng) one regulation.
Can 條 be used for animals?
Yes, for long, slender animals such as fish, snakes and dogs in many regions. For example, 一條魚 (yì tiáo yú) one fish and 一條狗 (yì tiáo gǒu) one dog, though 隻 (zhī) is also common for dogs.