睹 meaning and stroke order
To look at, to gaze at; to observe
How to write 睹, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
Meaning of 睹
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to observe
- to see
- old variant of 睹[du3]
How 睹 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Eye.
目 gives the meaning and 者 hints at the sound.
Radical: 目 (eye), shared by 100 characters on this site.
How to remember 睹
睹 is pictophonetic: the eye 目 on the left gives the meaning "to look", and 者 (zhě) on the right hints at the sound. Picture an eye fixed on a person (者) so it can see them clearly.
睹 is formal and rarely used alone in speech. It mostly appears in set words like 目睹 (mùdǔ) and idioms like 惨不忍睹 (cǎnbùrěndǔ). Example: 他亲眼目睹了那场事故。(Tā qīnyǎn mùdǔ le nà chǎng shìgù.) He saw that accident with his own eyes.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 睹 with 赌 (dǔ, to gamble) and 堵 (dǔ, to block). They share the same sound and the 者 part, so check the left side: 目 eye for seeing, 贝 money for gambling, 土 earth for blocking.
Common words with 睹
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
睹 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 睹
How many strokes are in 睹?
睹 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 睹 mean?
睹 (dǔ) means to look at, to gaze at; to observe. A common word with it is 目睹 (mùdǔ), meaning "to witness; to see at first hand".
How do you pronounce 睹?
睹 is pronounced dǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 睹?
The radical of 睹 is 目, which carries the idea of "eye". Dictionaries list 睹 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 睹?
The traditional form of 睹 is 覩. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 睹 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 睹 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 睹 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 睹 and 看?
看 (kàn) is the everyday word for "look" or "watch". 睹 is literary and usually means witnessing something directly, often something serious or striking. In daily talk you would say 看到, but in writing or news you might see 目睹.
Can 睹 be used by itself as a verb?
In modern Chinese it almost never stands alone. It lives inside fixed expressions such as 目睹, 耳闻目睹, 亲眼目睹 and 惨不忍睹, so it is best learned as part of these words.