托 (tuō) is a Chinese character meaning “to hold up on the palm”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 乇 (component on the right of 托; not commonly used on its own today), side by side, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “to hold up on the palm; to entrust”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 乇
Left–right structure
- 扌 hand (radical form) · shǒu meaning
- 乇 component on the right of 托; not commonly used on its own today unknown
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰扌乇，已用 hanzi-writer-data 六笔笔顺核验：扌 3 笔 + 乇 3 笔）
Memory aid
The hand radical 扌 on the left is doing the work: a palm holding something up. 乇 on the right just tells you how it sounds — tuō.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 拜托bài tuōplease (do me a favor); to ask a favor of someone托 = tuō
- 托运tuō yùnto check (luggage); to consign goods for shipment托 = tuō
- 委托wěi tuōto entrust; to commission托 = tuōHSK 5
Go deeper
All readings
to hold up; to entrust
to hold up on the palm; to support; to entrust something to someone; a tray or support
用手掌向上承着；也指把事情交给别人办。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 拜托bài tuōplease (do me a favor); to ask a favor of someone托 = tuō
- 托运tuō yùnto check (luggage); to consign goods for shipment托 = tuō
- 委托wěi tuōto entrust; to commission托 = tuōHSK 5
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 托 mean?
托 (tuō) means to hold up on the palm; to support; to entrust something to someone; a tray or support.
How do you pronounce 托?
It is pronounced tuō.
What parts is 托 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 乇 (component on the right of 托; not commonly used on its own today), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰扌乇，已用 hanzi-writer-data 六笔笔顺核验：扌 3 笔 + 乇 3 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 托 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 托?
手. 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 托?
Common ones are 拜托 and 托运. The reading of 托 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.