多 (duō) is a Chinese character meaning “many”. It is written from 夕 (evening) and 夕 (evening), one above the other, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “many”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
夕 + 夕
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：多，重也。从重夕。夕者，相繹也，故为多
Memory aid
One evening (夕) stacked on top of another evening (夕) — evening after evening after evening. That is what many looks like.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 多少duō shaohow many; how much多 = duōHSK 1
- 好多hǎo duōa great many; a lot of多 = duō
- 更多gèng duōmore多 = duōHSK 3
- 差不多chà bu duōalmost; about the same多 = duō
- 很多hěn duōa lot; many; much多 = duōHSK 1
- 鄂尔多斯è ěr duō sīOrdos (a city in Inner Mongolia)多 = duō
Go deeper
All readings
many
many; much; a lot of; more; how (in questions about degree)
数量大；比原来的、应有的数量大。也用来问程度。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 多少duō shaohow many; how much多 = duōHSK 1
- 好多hǎo duōa great many; a lot of多 = duō
- 更多gèng duōmore多 = duōHSK 3
- 差不多chà bu duōalmost; about the same多 = duō
- 很多hěn duōa lot; many; much多 = duōHSK 1
- 鄂尔多斯è ěr duō sīOrdos (a city in Inner Mongolia)多 = duō
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 多 mean?
多 (duō) means many; much; a lot of; more; how (in questions about degree).
How do you pronounce 多?
It is pronounced duō.
What parts is 多 made of?
夕 (evening) and 夕 (evening), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：多，重也。从重夕。夕者，相繹也，故为多. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 多 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 多?
夕. 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 多?
Common ones are 多少 and 好多. The reading of 多 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.