掉 (diào) is a Chinese character meaning “to drop”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 卓 (tall; outstanding), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to drop; to fall”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 卓
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字（掉，搖也。从手卓聲）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) reaches up to something standing tall (卓) — knock it and it falls off: 掉, to drop.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 扔掉rēng diàoto throw away; to discard掉 = diào
- 丢掉diū diàoto throw away; to discard掉 = diào
- 删掉shān diàoto delete it; to cross it out掉 = diào
- 甩掉shuǎi diàoto fling away; to get rid of掉 = diào
Go deeper
All readings
to drop; to fall; to lose
to drop; to fall; to lose; to turn around; after a verb: away, off (result of removal)
落下；遗失；回转。用在动词后，表示去除、离开，如扔掉、丢掉。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 扔掉rēng diàoto throw away; to discard掉 = diào
- 丢掉diū diàoto throw away; to discard掉 = diào
- 删掉shān diàoto delete it; to cross it out掉 = diào
- 甩掉shuǎi diàoto fling away; to get rid of掉 = diào
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 掉 mean?
掉 (diào) means to drop; to fall; to lose; to turn around; after a verb: away, off (result of removal).
How do you pronounce 掉?
It is pronounced diào.
What parts is 掉 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 卓 (tall; outstanding), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字（掉，搖也。从手卓聲）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 掉 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 掉?
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 掉?
Common ones are 扔掉 and 丢掉. The reading of 掉 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.