调 meaning in English

diào

to transfer; to move (troops or cadres)

HSK 3verbTraditional 調10 strokes

Meaning of 调

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

diào

to transfer
to move (troops or cadres)
to investigate
to enquire into
accent
view
argument
key (in music)

tiáo

to harmonize
to reconcile
to blend
to suit well
to adjust
to regulate
to season (food)
to provoke

How to use 调

Read diào, it means to transfer or investigate, and also tune or accent, as in 调查 (diàochá) and 强调 (qiángdiào). Read tiáo, it means to adjust or mix, as in 调整 (tiáozhěng) and 空调 (kōngtiáo). Example: 他被调到北京工作了。(Tā bèi diào dào Běijīng gōngzuò le.) He was transferred to work in Beijing.

调 combines 讠 (speech) with 周 (zhōu, all around, complete). Picture words going all around to bring everyone into harmony, or to find out the facts by asking around.

Common mistake: Learners often say kōngdiào for 空调 or diàozhěng for 调整, but both use tiáo. A simple rule is that adjusting and mixing is tiáo, while moving, investigating, and tunes are diào.

调 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

我wǒ想xiǎng特tè别bié强qiáng调diào这zhè一yì点diǎn。

I want to emphasize this point in particular.

把bǎ收shōu音yīn机jī调diào大dà声shēng点diǎn。我wǒ听tīng不bù清qīng楚chǔ。

Turn up the radio. I can't hear it.

昨zuó天tiān，我wǒ爸bà爸bà来lái帮bāng我wǒ家jiā装zhuāng了le空kōng调tiáo。

Yesterday, my father came to my house to help me with the air conditioning.

先xiān做zuò调diào查chá，再zài问wèn别bié人rén。

Do research before asking others.

我wǒ们men一yí定dìng会huì调diào查chá它tā。

We'll be sure to look into it.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

调 diào · to transfer · 10 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 调.

调查	diàochá	investigation; inquiry
调整	tiáozhěng	to adjust; to revise; to reorganize
强调	qiángdiào	to emphasize (a statement); to stress
空调	kōngtiáo	air conditioning; air conditioner (including units that have a heating mode)
调皮	tiáopí	naughty; mischievous
单调	dāndiào	monotonous
调动	diàodòng	to transfer; to maneuver (troops etc)
调节	tiáojié	to adjust; to regulate
调解	tiáojiě	to mediate; to bring parties to an agreement
协调	xiétiáo	to coordinate; to harmonize
调研	diàoyán	to investigate and research; research
低调	dīdiào	low pitch; quiet (voice)

Questions about 调

What does 调 mean?

调 (diào) means "to transfer; to move (troops or cadres)" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 调?

调 is made of 1 character: 调 (10 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.

Is 调 an HSK word?

Yes. 调 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 调 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 调 is written 調.

How do I say someone has an accent using 调?

Use 口音 (kǒuyīn) for a regional accent in everyday speech. 调 (diào) appears in 腔调 (qiāngdiào), which means tone or manner of speaking. Example: 他说话有南方腔调。(Tā shuōhuà yǒu nánfāng qiāngdiào.) He speaks with a southern tone.

What does 调皮 mean, and is it negative?

调皮 (tiáopí) means naughty or mischievous. It is usually mild and often affectionate, especially for children or pets. Example: 这个孩子很调皮。(Zhège háizi hěn tiáopí.) This kid is very mischievous.