饕 meaning and stroke order
Gluttonous; greedy, covetous
How to write 饕, stroke by stroke
22 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 饕
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (literary) greedy; gluttonous
How 饕 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Eat.
食 gives the meaning and 號 hints at the sound.
Radical: 食 (food), shared by 12 characters on this site.
How to remember 饕
The top part 號 (háo) means to howl or roar, and the bottom part 食 (shí) means food. Picture someone howling over a pile of food, too greedy to wait, and you have 饕 (tāo), gluttonous.
饕 is a literary character and almost never appears alone in modern speech. You will mostly see it in 饕餮 (tāotiè), the mythical beast on ancient bronzes, which also became a word for a big eater or food lover. Example: 他是个老饕。(Tā shì gè lǎo tāo.) He is a real foodie.
Common mistake: Learners often read 饕 as háo because they see 號 on top, but 號 only hints at the sound here and the correct reading is tāo, first tone. Also note that the food part sits at the bottom as a full 食, not as the narrow side form 饣.
Common words with 饕
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 饕餮 | tāotiè | ferocious mythological animal, the fifth son of the dragon king; zoomorphic mask motif, fo |
Questions about 饕
How many strokes are in 饕?
饕 is written with 22 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 饕 mean?
饕 (tāo) means gluttonous; greedy, covetous. A common word with it is 饕餮 (tāotiè), meaning "ferocious mythological animal, the fifth son of the dragon king; zoomorphic mask motif, fo".
How do you pronounce 饕?
饕 is pronounced tāo, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 饕?
The radical of 饕 is 食, which carries the idea of "food". Dictionaries list 饕 under this radical.
What does 老饕 mean in modern Chinese?
老饕 (lǎotāo) means a gourmet or serious food lover. It is often used in a friendly, joking way for someone who knows and loves good food.
Is 饕餮 a negative word?
Originally 饕餮 was a greedy, fierce mythical creature, so it described gluttony and greed. Today it is often used lightly, for example 饕餮大餐 (tāotiè dàcān) for a lavish feast.