道 meaning in English
road; path (CL:條|条[tiao2],股[gu3]); (bound form) way; reason; principle
Meaning of 道
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- road; path (CL:條|条[tiao2],股[gu3])
- (bound form) way; reason; principle
- (bound form) a skill; an art; a specialization
- (Daoism) the Way; the Dao
- to say (introducing a direct quotation, as in a novel)
- (bound form) to express; to extend (polite words)
- classifier for long thin things (rivers, cracks, shadows etc), barriers (walls, doors etc), questions (in an exam etc), commands, courses in a meal, steps in a process
- (old) circuit (administrative division)
How to use 道
As a measure word, 道 counts long thin things, barriers, exam questions, and dishes in a meal. It also appears in many common words like 知道 (zhīdào, to know) and 道理 (dàolǐ, reason). Example: 这道题很难。(Zhè dào tí hěn nán.) This question is hard.
道 combines 辶 (walking, movement) with 首 (shǒu, head). Picture a person's head leading the way as they walk down a road, which is a path and also "the way" to do something.
Common mistake: In 知道 (zhīdào), 道 is usually said with a neutral tone, so learners who stress it as a full fourth tone sound unnatural. Also, learners sometimes write 首 without the two short strokes on top, or confuse 道 with 导 (dǎo, to guide).
道 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.
道 dào · road · 12 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 道.
| 知道 | zhīdào | to know; to become aware of; also pr. [zhi1dao5] |
| 味道 | wèidào | flavor; taste; (fig.) feeling (of ...); sense (of ...); hint (of ...) |
| 道理 | dàolǐ | reason; argument |
| 道路 | dàolù | road; path |
| 难道 | nándào | don't tell me ...; could it be that...? |
| 报道 | bàodào | to report (news); report |
| 街道 | jiēdào | street; subdistrict |
| 道德 | dàodé | virtue; morality |
| 频道 | píndào | frequency; (television) channel |
| 道歉 | dàoqiàn | to apologize |
| 一道 | yīdào | together |
| 轨道 | guǐdào | track (for trains etc); orbit (of a satellite) |
Questions about 道
What does 道 mean?
道 (dào) means "road; path (CL:條|条[tiao2],股[gu3]); (bound form) way; reason; principle" and is used as a measure word.
How do you write 道?
道 is made of 1 character: 道 (12 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 道 an HSK word?
Yes. 道 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 道 and 路 for "road"?
路 (lù) is the everyday word for a road or street. 道 alone sounds more formal or abstract, so in speech people usually say 路 or the compound 道路 (dàolù).
How is 道 used to mean "to say"?
In novels and written stories, 道 introduces direct speech, as in 他笑道 (tā xiào dào), "he said with a laugh." In everyday conversation people use 说 (shuō) instead.