悼 (dào) is a Chinese character meaning “to mourn”. It is written from 忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 卓 (tall; outstanding), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to mourn”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
忄 + 卓
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（⿰忄卓），已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：左「忄」3 画 + 右「卓」8 画 = 11 画；「忄」是「心」的左偏旁形，与哀伤情绪相关；「卓 zhuó」与「悼 dào」今音已分化，仍按今形判为声符位置。只描述今形构成，不追溯上古来源。
Memory aid
The heart (忄) stands beside someone tall and outstanding (卓) who is now gone — the heart grieves for them. That is 悼, to mourn.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 哀悼āi dàoto mourn; to express condolences悼 = dào
- 追悼zhuī dàoto mourn for the dead; memorial悼 = dào
- 悼念dào niànto grieve for; to mourn and remember悼 = dào
Go deeper
All readings
to mourn
to mourn; to grieve for the dead; to lament
怀念死去的人并感到悲伤。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 哀悼āi dàoto mourn; to express condolences悼 = dào
- 追悼zhuī dàoto mourn for the dead; memorial悼 = dào
- 悼念dào niànto grieve for; to mourn and remember悼 = dào
Sound component
卓 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 悼 mean?
悼 (dào) means to mourn; to grieve for the dead; to lament.
How do you pronounce 悼?
It is pronounced dào.
What parts is 悼 made of?
忄 (heart (left-side form)) and 卓 (tall; outstanding), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（⿰忄卓），已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：左「忄」3 画 + 右「卓」8 画 = 11 画；「忄」是「心」的左偏旁形，与哀伤情绪相关；「卓 zhuó」与「悼 dào」今音已分化，仍按今形判为声符位置。只描述今形构成，不追溯上古来源。. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 悼 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 悼?
忄. 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 悼?
Common ones are 哀悼, 追悼, 悼念. The reading of 悼 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.