读
读 (dú) means “to read”. It is made of 讠 + 卖 and has 10 strokes, and is an HSK 1 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 读 into its parts
What 读 is made of
- 讠 yán — speech
- 卖 mài — to sell
- 十 — ten
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 买 mǎi — to buy
- 乛 — bent stroke
- 头 tóu — head
- 十 — ten
Origin hint: To show off 卖 one's literacy 讠 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
读 stroke order
Example sentences
请读课文。Qǐng dú kèwén.Please read the text.
这个字怎么读？Zhège zì zěnme dú?How do you read this character?
Words with 读
Also built with 讠
- 计jìto calculate
- 订dìngto book
- 认rènto know
- 讥jīto ridicule
- 讨tǎoto haggle
- 让ràngto let
- 训xùnto teach
- 议yìto consult
- 讯xùnnews
- 记jìto remember
- 讲jiǎngto speak
- 讳huìtaboo
Quick facts
| Pinyin | dú |
|---|---|
| Meaning | to read |
| Strokes | 10 |
| Radical | 言 (speech, #149) |
| Pattern | Left–right |
| HSK | HSK 1 (exam 2025) · HSK 1 (2021) · Old HSK 1 |
Questions about 读
What does 读 mean?
读 (dú) means “to read”.
How many strokes does 读 have?
读 has 10 strokes.
What is the radical of 读?
The radical of 读 is 言 (yán, “speech”), Kangxi radical number 149.
What parts make up 读?
读 is made of 讠 (speech) and 卖 (to sell).
Which HSK level is 读?
读 is in HSK 1 (exam 2025) and HSK 1 (2021) and Old HSK 1.
Learn 读 with its group
It is part of HSK 1 (2021) · Group 6: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.