盜 meaning and stroke order
To rob, to steal; thief, bandit
How to write 盜, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
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- 9
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- 11
- 12
Meaning of 盜
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to steal
- to rob
- to plunder
- thief
- bandit
- robber
How 盜 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 皿 (dish), shared by 28 characters on this site.
How to remember 盜
Picture someone with water 氵 drooling and mouth open wide 欠 over a dish 皿 that is not theirs. That greedy drool over another person's bowl turns into stealing, 盜 (dào).
盜 is the traditional form. On its own it sounds formal, but it is very common in compounds like 海盜 (hǎidào, pirate), 強盜 (qiángdào, bandit) and 盜版 (dàobǎn, pirated). Example: 這是盜版的電影。(Zhè shì dàobǎn de diànyǐng.) This is a pirated movie.
Common mistake: Learners often write the top left as 次 (cì) with two dots instead of three-dot water 氵. Simplified Chinese actually uses 盗 with 次 on top, so keep the two forms apart and use 氵 when writing traditional 盜.
Common words with 盜
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 強盜 | qiángdào | to rob (with force); bandit | HSK 6 |
| 盜版 | dàobǎn | pirated; illegal | HSK 6 |
| 海盜 | hǎidào | pirate | HSK 7-9 |
| 盜竊 | dàoqiè | to steal | HSK 7-9 |
| 防盜 | fángdào | to guard against theft; anti-theft | HSK 7-9 |
| 防盜門 | fángdàomén | security door | HSK 7-9 |
| 盜賊 | dàozéi | robber | |
| 大盜 | dàdào | thief; bandit (esp. one who has gained notoriety) | |
| 偷盜 | tōudào | to steal | |
| 盜用 | dàoyòng | to use illegitimately; to misappropriate; to embezzle | |
| 盜取 | dàoqǔ | to steal (including identity theft, credit card fraud or theft of computer account); to mi |
Questions about 盜
How many strokes are in 盜?
盜 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 盜 mean?
盜 (dào) means to rob, to steal; thief, bandit. A common word with it is 强盗 (qiángdào), meaning "to rob (with force); bandit".
How do you pronounce 盜?
盜 is pronounced dào, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 盜?
The radical of 盜 is 皿, which carries the idea of "dish". Dictionaries list 盜 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 盜?
盜 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 盗, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 盜 and 偷 (tōu)?
偷 is the everyday verb for stealing, as in 偷東西 (tōu dōngxi, to steal things). 盜 is more formal or written and appears mostly in compounds like 盜竊 (dàoqiè) or in legal and news language.
Does 盜 mean someone who robs with violence?
Not by itself. 盜 covers stealing and robbery in general. To stress force, Chinese uses 強盜 (qiángdào), where 強 means strong or by force.