投 (tóu) is a Chinese character meaning “to throw”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 殳 (a hand holding a long-handled tool or weapon), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to throw”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 殳
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（扌3画 + 殳4画 = 7画）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) on the left, and on the right 殳 — a hand already gripping a long-handled weapon. Two hands, one motion: wind up and throw it.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 投票tóu piàoto vote; to cast a ballot投 = tóu
- 投入tóu rùto put into; to invest; to throw oneself into投 = tóu
- 投掷tóu zhìto throw; to hurl投 = tóu
- 投降tóu xiángto surrender投 = tóu
Go deeper
All readings
to throw
to throw; to cast; to put in; to invest; to send (a letter, a ballot)
抛掷；把东西放进去，也指投入资金或精力。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 投票tóu piàoto vote; to cast a ballot投 = tóu
- 投入tóu rùto put into; to invest; to throw oneself into投 = tóu
- 投掷tóu zhìto throw; to hurl投 = tóu
- 投降tóu xiángto surrender投 = tóu
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 投 mean?
投 (tóu) means to throw; to cast; to put in; to invest; to send (a letter, a ballot).
How do you pronounce 投?
It is pronounced tóu.
What parts is 投 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 殳 (a hand holding a long-handled tool or weapon), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数据核验（扌3画 + 殳4画 = 7画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 投 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 投?
扌. 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 投?
Common ones are 投票 and 投入. The reading of 投 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.