刀 (dāo) is a Chinese character meaning “a knife”. It takes 2 strokes.
Learn this character
Structure
刀
Single unit
- 刀 knife · dāo unknown
Structure from: Unicode U+5200 and hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph inspection
Memory aid
Picture the two strokes as the handle and cutting edge of a knife (刀).
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
2 strokes
In real words
- 小刀xiǎo dāosmall knife; pocketknife刀 = dāo
- 菜刀cài dāokitchen knife; cleaver刀 = dāo
Go deeper
All readings
knife
a knife; a cutting tool or blade
切、割、削等所用的工具；也可指刀刃。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 小刀xiǎo dāosmall knife; pocketknife刀 = dāo
- 菜刀cài dāokitchen knife; cleaver刀 = dāo
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 刀 mean?
刀 (dāo) means a knife; a cutting tool or blade.
How do you pronounce 刀?
It is pronounced dāo.
How many strokes does 刀 have?
2. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 刀?
刀. 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 刀?
Common ones are 小刀 and 菜刀. The reading of 刀 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.