The character 掉 — “fall”: how to write it and what it means

掉
diào

fall, drop

11 strokes · HSK 4 · word page

The Chinese character 掉 is read diào and means “fall, drop”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 掉

掉 has 11 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.

To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 掉, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 掉?

掉 has 11 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.

What does 掉 mean?

掉 means “fall, drop”.

How do you pronounce 掉?

掉 is read diào. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 掉 have?

11 strokes.

← 扔 throw拉 pull →

More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.

Write 掉 yourself

In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.

Start for free