Chinese character for the way (tao): 道 (dào)
The Chinese character for the Way, or Tao, is 道 (dào). It means road, path and method, and in philosophy it is the Tao, the natural way of the universe. It appears in 道路 (dàolù, road) and 知道 (zhīdào, to know).
How 道 is built
道 joins the movement radical 辶 with 首 (shǒu), a head, which also hints at the sound. As a memory aid, it is a head leading the way along a road. From the simple meaning of road it grew to mean the right path, a method, and finally the Tao of Laozi's philosophy. It is identical in simplified and traditional Chinese and appears in 功夫 terms like 武道 (the martial way).
道 dào · road
- 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)
How 道 is used
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: 道 is identical in both scripts; it is widely read as 'the Way', but in daily life it simply means 'road' too.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for the way (tao)?
道 (dào) means “the Way”.
How do you pronounce 道?
道 is pronounced dào.