The character 到 — “arrive”: how to write it and what it means
arrive
The Chinese character 到 is read dào and means “arrive”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 到
到 has 8 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 到, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 到 is made of
On the right, 刂 “knife”, dāo, hints at the sound.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 到
- 感到feelHSK 3
- 到处everywhereHSK 3
- 直到untilHSK 3
- 迟到be lateHSK 3
- 收到receive (a letter, parcel)HSK 3
- 得到get, obtainHSK 3
- 受到receive (influence, welcome)HSK 3
- 遇到run into, encounterHSK 3
- 到底after all; on earth (in questions)HSK 4
- 提到mentionHSK 4
- 到来arrive, come (of time)HSK 4
- 达到reach, achieveHSK 4
- 等到by the time, whenHSK 4
- 起到play (a role)HSK 4
- 到期expire (of a term)HSK 5
- 到达arrive (lit.)HSK 5
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 到?
到 has 8 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 到 mean?
到 means “arrive”. It appears in 感到 (“feel”), 到处 (“everywhere”), 直到 (“until”), 迟到 (“be late”).
How do you pronounce 到?
到 is read dào. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 到 have?
8 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 到 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.
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