The character 错 — “mistake”: how to write it and what it means
mistake
The Chinese character 错 is read cuò and means “mistake”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 错
错 has 13 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 错, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 错 is made of
On the left, 钅 “metal”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 错
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 错?
错 has 13 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 错 mean?
错 means “mistake”. It appears in 不错 (“not bad”), 错过 (“miss”), 错误 (“mistake”), 认错 (“admit a mistake”).
How do you pronounce 错?
错 is read cuò. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 错 have?
13 strokes.
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 错 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