痘 meaning and stroke order
Smallpox
How to write 痘, stroke by stroke
12 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 痘
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- pimple
- pustule
How 痘 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Sickness.
疒 gives the meaning and 豆 hints at the sound.
Radical: 疒 (sickness), shared by 127 characters on this site.
How to remember 痘
The sickness radical 疒 wraps around 豆 (dòu, bean), which also gives the sound. Picture a sickness that leaves little bean-sized bumps on your skin.
In everyday speech 痘 usually means a pimple or skin spot, most often in 痘痘 (dòudou) or 青春痘 (qīngchūndòu, acne). It also appears in disease names like 水痘 (shuǐdòu, chickenpox). Example: 我脸上长了一个痘。(Wǒ liǎn shang zhǎng le yí ge dòu.) I got a pimple on my face.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write plain 豆 (dòu) and leave out the 疒 radical, since the two sound exactly the same. Use 豆 for beans and 痘 for spots on the skin or illness.
Common words with 痘
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 青春痘 | qīngchūndòu | acne |
痘 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 痘
How many strokes are in 痘?
痘 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 痘 mean?
痘 (dòu) means smallpox. A common word with it is 青春痘 (qīngchūndòu), meaning "acne".
How do you pronounce 痘?
痘 is pronounced dòu, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 痘?
The radical of 痘 is 疒, which carries the idea of "sickness". Dictionaries list 痘 under this radical.
What verb do you use with 痘 for getting a pimple?
Use 长 (zhǎng), as in 长痘 (zhǎng dòu), to get pimples. To squeeze one, say 挤痘 (jǐ dòu).
How do you say smallpox and vaccine in Chinese?
Smallpox is 天花 (tiānhuā) in modern Chinese, though older texts used 痘 for it. A vaccination against it was called 种痘 (zhòng dòu), and today 疫苗 (yìmiáo) is the general word for vaccine.