碉 meaning and stroke order
Watchtower
How to write 碉, 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 碉
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- rock cave (archaic)
How 碉 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Stone.
石 gives the meaning and 周 hints at the sound.
Radical: 石 (stone), shared by 114 characters on this site.
How to remember 碉
碉 is stone 石 (shí) on the left with 周 (zhōu) on the right, which gives the sound. Picture a stone tower built all around, since 周 can mean "all around", for guards keeping watch on every side.
碉 almost never appears alone in modern Chinese. You will meet it mainly in 碉堡 (diāobǎo), a pillbox or blockhouse, and in 碉楼 (diāolóu), the fortified watchtower houses of places like Kaiping. Example: 山上有一座旧碉堡。(Shān shàng yǒu yí zuò jiù diāobǎo.) There is an old pillbox on the mountain.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 碉 with 雕 (diāo, to carve) and 凋 (diāo, to wither), which share the same sound. If the meaning involves a stone military building, use the stone radical 石.
Common words with 碉
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 碉堡 | diāobǎo | (military) pillbox; blockhouse; humorous way of writing 屌爆[diao3 bao4] |
Questions about 碉
How many strokes are in 碉?
碉 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 碉 mean?
碉 (diāo) means watchtower. A common word with it is 碉堡 (diāobǎo), meaning "(military) pillbox; blockhouse; humorous way of writing 屌爆[diao3 bao4]".
How do you pronounce 碉?
碉 is pronounced diāo, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 碉?
The radical of 碉 is 石, which carries the idea of "stone". Dictionaries list 碉 under this radical.
Why do people write 碉堡了 online?
It is internet slang that borrows the sound of 屌爆 (diǎo bào), a crude way to say something is awesome. 碉堡 is used as a softer, playful spelling, so it is informal and not for serious writing.
What is the difference between 碉堡 and 碉楼?
碉堡 is a small military fortification, like a pillbox or blockhouse. 碉楼 is a tall fortified tower, often a residence or watchtower, such as the famous towers in Guangdong and Tibetan areas.