突 meaning and stroke order
Sudden, abrupt, unexpected
How to write 突, stroke by stroke
9 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
Meaning of 突
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to dash
- to move forward quickly
- to bulge
- to protrude
- to break through
- to rush out
How 突 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A dog 犬 rushing out of a cave 穴.
Radical: 穴 (cave), shared by 46 characters on this site.
How to remember 突
Picture a dog 犬 (quǎn) bursting out of a cave 穴 (xué) without warning. That sudden rush is the core idea of 突 (tū): something abrupt that breaks out or sticks out.
突 rarely stands alone in speech. It mostly appears in words like 突然 (tūrán, suddenly), 突出 (tūchū, prominent) and 冲突 (chōngtū, conflict). Example: 天突然下雨了。(Tiān tūrán xià yǔ le.) It suddenly started to rain.
Common mistake: Learners often swap the bottom 犬 for 大 and write a character without the dot. The dot on the right of 犬 is the dog, so keep it. Also note that the tone is first tone, tū, not tú.
Common words with 突
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 突然 | tūrán | sudden; abrupt; unexpected | HSK 3 |
| 突出 | tūchū | prominent; outstanding | HSK 3 |
| 突破 | tūpò | to break through; to make a breakthrough | HSK 5 |
| 冲突 | chōngtū | conflict; to conflict | HSK 5 |
| 突击 | tūjī | sudden and violent attack; assault | HSK 7-9 |
| 突发 | tūfā | to occur suddenly | HSK 7-9 |
| 突如其来 | tūrú-qílái | to arise abruptly; to arrive suddenly | HSK 7-9 |
| 突破口 | tūpòkǒu | breach; gap | HSK 7-9 |
| 突袭 | tūxí | to raid; to storm; surprise attack | |
| 突击队 | tūjīduì | commando unit | |
| 突变 | tūbiàn | sudden change; mutation | |
| 唐突 | tángtū | to be rude; to treat irreverently | |
| 突击队员 | tūjīduìyuán | commando | |
| 突围 | tūwéi | to break a siege; to break out of an enclosure |
突 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 突
How many strokes are in 突?
突 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 突 mean?
突 (tū) means sudden, abrupt, unexpected. A common word with it is 突然 (tūrán), meaning "sudden; abrupt; unexpected".
How do you pronounce 突?
突 is pronounced tū, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 突?
The radical of 突 is 穴, which carries the idea of "cave". Dictionaries list 突 under this radical.
Is 突 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 突 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 突然 and 忽然?
Both mean suddenly, and both can be used as adverbs before a verb. 突然 can also act as an adjective, as in 这件事很突然 (zhè jiàn shì hěn tūrán, this was very sudden). 忽然 cannot be used that way.
Why does 突出 mean outstanding?
突 also means to protrude or bulge. 突出 literally describes something sticking out from the rest, so it extends naturally to a person or result that stands out, such as 成绩突出 (chéngjì tūchū, outstanding results).