哆 (duō) is a Chinese character meaning “to tremble”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 多 (many; much), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “tremble; shiver”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
口 + 多
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：哆，張口也。从口多聲。现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（口3 + 多6 = 9 笔）
Memory aid
A mouth (口) doing far too much (多) at once — teeth chattering away. That is 哆嗦: shivering.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 哆嗦duō suōto shiver; to tremble哆 = duōspoken asduō suo
Go deeper
All readings
tremble
to tremble; to shiver — used in the word 哆嗦 (duōsuo)
用于「哆嗦」，指身体因寒冷或害怕而不由自主地颤抖。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 哆嗦duō suōto shiver; to tremble哆 = duōspoken asduō suo
Origin
A phono-semantic compound: 口 (mouth) on the left carries the meaning, and 多 supplies the sound duō.
Source: 说文解字：哆，張口也。从口多聲。
Sound component
多 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 哆 mean?
哆 (duō) means to tremble; to shiver — used in the word 哆嗦 (duōsuo).
How do you pronounce 哆?
It is pronounced duō.
What parts is 哆 made of?
口 (mouth) and 多 (many; much), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：哆，張口也。从口多聲。现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（口3 + 多6 = 9 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 哆 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 哆?
口. 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 哆?
Common ones are 哆嗦. The reading of 哆 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.