鳌 meaning and stroke order
Huge sea turtle
How to write 鳌, stroke by stroke
18 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 鳌
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- mythological sea turtle
- variant of 鰲|鳌[ao2]
How 鳌 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Fish.
鱼 gives the meaning and 敖 hints at the sound.
Radical: 鱼 (fish), shared by 79 characters on this site.
How to remember 鳌
The bottom part 鱼 (yú, fish) tells you this is a sea creature, and the top part 敖 (áo) gives the sound. Picture a giant sea animal so big it sits on top of the word for fish.
鳌 appears mostly in myths, idioms and set phrases rather than daily talk. In legend, a giant 鳌 holds up the sky or carries islands on its back. The best-known phrase is 独占鳌头 (dú zhàn áo tóu), meaning to come in first or be the champion, as in 他在比赛中独占鳌头 (tā zài bǐsài zhōng dú zhàn áo tóu), "He took first place in the competition."
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 鳌 with 傲 (ào, proud), which shares the 敖 part but has a different tone and the person radical. Remember that 鳌 is second tone áo and has 鱼 at the bottom.
Questions about 鳌
How many strokes are in 鳌?
鳌 is written with 18 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 鳌 mean?
鳌 (áo) means huge sea turtle.
How do you pronounce 鳌?
鳌 is pronounced áo, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 鳌?
The radical of 鳌 is 鱼, which carries the idea of "fish". Dictionaries list 鳌 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 鳌?
The traditional form of 鳌 is 鰲 and 鼇. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 鳌 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 独占鳌头 mean and where does it come from?
It means to take first place or stand out above everyone. It comes from imperial exams, where the top scholar stood on a carving of the 鳌 head in the palace.
Is 鳌 a real animal I can see at the zoo?
No. 鳌 is a mythological giant sea turtle. For a real turtle you would say 乌龟 (wūguī) or 海龟 (hǎiguī) for a sea turtle.