偷 (tōu) is a Chinese character meaning “to steal”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 俞 (yú; a component seen in 偷, 输, 愉 (top 人 + 一, then 月 beside 刂)), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to steal”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
亻 + 俞
Left–right structure
- 亻 person (the form 人 takes on the left) · rén meaning
- 俞 yú; a component seen in 偷, 输, 愉 (top 人 + 一, then 月 beside 刂) · yú unknown
Structure from: 现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（亻2 + 俞9 = 11 笔）；俞 的表音身份未找到可追溯依据，role 留 unknown
Memory aid
A person (亻) sneaking up to 俞 on the right — 俞 even has a knife (刂) tucked inside. A person creeping off with things that are not theirs: 偷, to steal.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 小偷xiǎo tōuthief偷 = tōu
- 偷窃tōu qièto steal; theft偷 = tōu
Go deeper
All readings
to steal
to steal; secretly; stealthily; to snatch (a moment of time)
私下拿走别人的东西；也指瞒着别人、偷偷地做事。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 小偷xiǎo tōuthief偷 = tōu
- 偷窃tōu qièto steal; theft偷 = tōu
Easy to confuse with
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 偷 mean?
偷 (tōu) means to steal; secretly; stealthily; to snatch (a moment of time).
How do you pronounce 偷?
It is pronounced tōu.
What parts is 偷 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 俞 (yú; a component seen in 偷, 输, 愉 (top 人 + 一, then 月 beside 刂)), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（亻2 + 俞9 = 11 笔）；俞 的表音身份未找到可追溯依据，role 留 unknown. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 偷 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 偷?
人. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 偷?
Common ones are 小偷 and 偷窃. The reading of 偷 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.