陶 meaning and stroke order
Pottery, ceramics
How to write 陶, 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.
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Meaning of 陶
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- pottery
- pleased
How 陶 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A mound 阝 of clay 匋; 匋 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 阝 (place), shared by 160 characters on this site.
How to remember 陶
On the left is a mound 阝 and on the right is 匋, which also gives the sound táo. Picture a mound of clay waiting to be shaped into pottery.
陶 (táo) mostly appears in compound words. It can mean pottery, as in 陶瓷 (táocí) and 陶器 (táoqì), or it can mean shaping a person or feeling deep pleasure, as in 熏陶 (xūntáo) and 陶醉 (táozuì). Example: 他陶醉在音乐里。(Tā táozuì zài yīnyuè lǐ.) He is lost in the music.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 陶 (táo) with 淘 (táo, to wash or sift, as in 淘气 táoqì, naughty). They sound the same and share 匋, but 淘 has the water radical 氵 instead of 阝.
Common words with 陶
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
陶 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 陶
How many strokes are in 陶?
陶 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 陶 mean?
陶 (táo) means pottery, ceramics. A common word with it is 陶醉 (táozuì), meaning "to be infatuated with; to be drunk with; to be enchanted with; to revel in".
How do you pronounce 陶?
陶 is pronounced táo, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 陶?
The radical of 陶 is 阝, which carries the idea of "place". Dictionaries list 陶 under this radical.
Is 陶 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 陶 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 陶 and 瓷?
陶 (táo) is pottery or earthenware fired at lower temperatures. 瓷 (cí) is porcelain, which is harder and finer. Together, 陶瓷 (táocí) means ceramics in general.
Why does 陶冶 mean to educate?
Its literal meaning is to fire pots and smelt metal. Shaping clay and metal became a metaphor for shaping a person's character, as in 陶冶情操 (táoyě qíngcāo), to cultivate one's character.