The character 道 — “way”: how to write it and what it means
way, road
The Chinese character 道 is read dào and means “way, road”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 道
道 has 12 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 道, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 道 is made of
On the left, 辶 “walk”. This is the famous “Tao”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 道
- 知道knowHSK 1
- 难道could it be thatHSK 4
- 道歉apologizeHSK 4
- 味道taste, smellHSK 4
- 道路road, wayHSK 4
- 街道streetHSK 4
- 报道news report; report (in the media)HSK 5
- 跑道running track; runwayHSK 5
- 道理reason, senseHSK 5
- 楼道stairwell, corridor (in a building)HSK 6
- 管道pipeline, pipeHSK 6
- 一道together, alongHSK 6
- 通道passage, corridor; channelHSK 6
- 渠道channel; way, meansHSK 6
- 轨道orbit; track (rail)HSK 6
- 道德morality, ethicsHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 道?
道 has 12 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 道 mean?
道 means “way, road”. It appears in 知道 (“know”), 难道 (“could it be that”), 道歉 (“apologize”), 味道 (“taste”).
How do you pronounce 道?
道 is read dào. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 道 have?
12 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 道 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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