Meaning of 到
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to reach; to arrive
- to leave for; to go to
- to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point)
- (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point)
- considerate; thoughtful; thorough
How to use 到
到 is used for arriving somewhere, for 'until' with time, and very often as a verb complement showing a result was achieved, as in 看到 (kàndào) and 找到 (zhǎodào). Example: 我到家了。(Wǒ dào jiā le.) I'm home.
到 (dào) has 至 (zhì, to reach) on the left and the knife radical 刂 on the right, which also gives the sound dao like 刀 (dāo). Picture yourself finally reaching your destination and putting down your knife.
Common mistake: Learners often say 看 (kàn) when they mean 看到 (kàndào). 看 is the act of looking, while 看到 means you actually saw it. Also, do not confuse 到 with 倒 (dǎo/dào, to fall or to pour), which adds the person radical 亻 on the left.
到 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
到 dào · to reach · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 到.
Questions about 到
What does 到 mean?
到 (dào) means "to reach; to arrive; to leave for; to go to" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 到?
到 is made of 1 character: 到 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 到 an HSK word?
Yes. 到 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 到 and 去?
去 (qù) means to go toward a place and focuses on leaving. 到 focuses on arriving or reaching it. You can combine them: 我去北京 means I am going to Beijing, while 我到北京了 means I have arrived in Beijing.
How do I use 到 to mean 'until' or 'from... to'?
Use the pattern 从...到... (cóng... dào...) for ranges of time or place. For example, 从九点到五点 (cóng jiǔ diǎn dào wǔ diǎn) means from nine to five.