道
道 (dào) means “road”. It is made of 辶 + 首 and has 12 strokes, and is an HSK 4 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 道 into its parts
What 道 is made of
- 辶 — walking, moving
- 首 shǒu — chief
- 丷 ha — kwukyel
- 丶 — dot
- 自 zì — self
- 目 mù — eye
- 丷 ha — kwukyel
Origin hint: 辶 gives the meaning, 首 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
道 stroke order
Example sentences
山上有一条小道。Shān shang yǒu yī tiáo xiǎo dào.There's a little path on the mountain.
这条道能到学校吗？Zhè tiáo dào néng dào xuéxiào ma?Does this road lead to the school?
Words with 道
- 知道zhīdàoto know
- 道理dàolireason
- 道路dàolùroad
- 味道wèidaotaste
- 报道bàodàoto report (news)
- 难道nándàocould it be that…?
- 街道jiēdàostreet
- 道歉dàoqiànto apologize
- 打交道dǎjiāodàoto deal with
- 道德dàodémorality
- 地道dìdaoauthentic
- 频道píndào(TV or radio) channel
- 霸道bàdàooverbearing
- 赤道chìdàothe equator
- 东道主dōngdàozhǔhost
- 公道gōngdaofair
- 轨道guǐdàoorbit
- 渠道qúdàochannel
- 人道réndàohumane
- 任重道远rènzhòngdàoyuǎnheavy burden and a long road ahead
- 隧道suìdàotunnel
- 微不足道wēibùzúdàoinsignificant
Also built with 辶
- 巡xúnto cruise
- 边biānside
- 辽liáodistant
- 达dáto reach
- 迁qiānto shift
- 迄qìto extend
- 迅xùnquick
- 过guòto pass
- 迈màito step
- 迎yíngto welcome
- 运yùnto run
- 近jìnnear
Quick facts
| Pinyin | dào |
|---|---|
| Meaning | road; path; measure word for questions |
| Strokes | 12 |
| Radical | 辵 (walk, #162) |
| Pattern | Bottom-left wrap |
| HSK | HSK 4 (exam 2025) · HSK 2 (2021) |
Questions about 道
What does 道 mean?
道 (dào) means “road; path; measure word for questions”.
How many strokes does 道 have?
道 has 12 strokes.
What is the radical of 道?
The radical of 道 is 辵 (chuò, “walk”), Kangxi radical number 162.
What parts make up 道?
道 is made of 辶 (walking, moving) and 首 (chief).
Which HSK level is 道?
道 is in HSK 4 (exam 2025) and HSK 2 (2021).
Learn 道 with its group
It is part of HSK 2 (2021) · Group 34: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.