抖 (dǒu) is a Chinese character meaning “to shake”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 斗 (to fight; dipper), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to shake”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 斗
Left–right structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分 ⿰扌斗，3+4=7 笔）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) grabbing a dipper (斗) and shaking it out — and 斗 is also the sound: dǒu.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 发抖fā dǒuto tremble; to shiver; to shake抖 = dǒu
- 抖动dǒu dòngto shake; to vibrate; to jolt抖 = dǒu
Go deeper
All readings
to shake
to shake; to tremble; to shake something out; to rouse (oneself)
使物体上下或左右振动；也指身体颤动、振作起来。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 发抖fā dǒuto tremble; to shiver; to shake抖 = dǒu
- 抖动dǒu dòngto shake; to vibrate; to jolt抖 = dǒu
Sound component
斗 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 抖 mean?
抖 (dǒu) means to shake; to tremble; to shake something out; to rouse (oneself).
How do you pronounce 抖?
It is pronounced dǒu.
What parts is 抖 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 斗 (to fight; dipper), side by side. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分 ⿰扌斗，3+4=7 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 抖 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 抖?
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 抖?
Common ones are 发抖 and 抖动. The reading of 抖 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.