造 meaning and stroke order
To make; to build; to manufacture
How to write 造, stroke by stroke
10 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
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- 10
Meaning of 造
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to make
- to build
- to manufacture
- to invent
- to fabricate
- to go to
How 造 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Walk.
辶 gives the meaning and 告 hints at the sound.
Radical: 辶 (to walk), shared by 131 characters on this site.
How to remember 造
造 is made of 辶 (walk) and 告 (gào, to tell). Picture someone walking around telling workers what to do as they build something new, and 告 also hints at the sound zào.
造 rarely stands alone in modern speech and usually appears in compounds like 制造 (zhìzào, to manufacture), 创造 (chuàngzào, to create) and 造成 (zàochéng, to cause). 造成 usually takes a negative result as its object. Example: 大雨造成了交通问题。(Dà yǔ zàochéng le jiāotōng wèntí.) The heavy rain caused traffic problems.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 造 (zào) with 告 (gào) or 靠 (kào) because they share the 告 part, so check for the 辶 walking radical. Also, the second component is 告, not 吉, so the top has a short slanted stroke and the bottom is 口.
Common words with 造
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 造成 | zàochéng | to bring about; to create; to cause | HSK 3 |
| 创造 | chuàngzào | to create; to bring about | HSK 3 |
| 制造 | zhìzào | to manufacture; to make | HSK 3 |
| 改造 | gǎizào | to transform; to reform | HSK 3 |
| 造型 | zàoxíng | to model; to shape; appearance; style; design; form; pose | HSK 4 |
| 构造 | gòuzào | structure; composition | HSK 4 |
| 建造 | jiànzào | to construct; to build | HSK 5 |
| 打造 | dǎzào | to forge (metal); (fig.) to create; to build; to develop | HSK 6 |
| 伪造 | wěizào | to forge; to fake | HSK 7-9 |
| 人造 | rénzào | man-made; artificial | HSK 7-9 |
| 造就 | zàojiù | to bring up; to train | HSK 7-9 |
| 塑造 | sùzào | to model; to mold; (fig.) to create (a character, a market, an image etc) | HSK 7-9 |
| 编造 | biānzào | to compile; to draw up | HSK 7-9 |
| 营造 | yíngzào | to build (housing); to construct | HSK 7-9 |
造 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 造
Learning 造 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 造
How many strokes are in 造?
造 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 造 mean?
造 (zào) means to make; to build; to manufacture. A common word with it is 造成 (zàochéng), meaning "to bring about; to create; to cause".
How do you pronounce 造?
造 is pronounced zào, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 造?
The radical of 造 is 辶, which carries the idea of "to walk". Dictionaries list 造 under this radical.
Is 造 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 造 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 造成 and 导致?
Both mean to cause and usually describe bad results. 造成 is very common and often takes a noun object like 损失 (sǔnshī, loss), while 导致 (dǎozhì) is a bit more formal and often links a cause to a following event or situation.
Can 造 mean to make something up?
Yes. In words like 造谣 (zàoyáo, to spread rumors) and 伪造 (wěizào, to forge), 造 means to fabricate something false. Context tells you whether it means building something real or inventing a lie.