斗 (dòu) is a Chinese character meaning “to fight”. It is written from ㇔ (dot stroke) and ㇔ (dot stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇑ (vertical stroke), and takes 4 strokes. It has a second reading, dǒu, which turns up in 北斗 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “to fight; to struggle”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
㇔ + ㇔ + ㇐ + ㇑
Overlapping structure
Structure from: stroke-level decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data medians (4 strokes); no reliable component IDS available
Memory aid
One tall upright (㇑) stands its ground, a single bar (㇐) cuts straight across it, and two short dots (㇔ ㇔) fly off the side like sparks — someone standing firm in a fight.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 战斗zhàn dòuto fight; combat; battle斗 = dòu
- 奋斗fèn dòuto strive; to struggle for a goal斗 = dòu
- 斗殴dòu ōuto brawl; to come to blows斗 = dòu
Go deeper
All readings
to fight
to fight; to struggle against; to contend; to compete
对打；争斗；较量高下。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 战斗zhàn dòuto fight; combat; battle斗 = dòu
- 奋斗fèn dòuto strive; to struggle for a goal斗 = dòu
- 斗殴dòu ōuto brawl; to come to blows斗 = dòu
dipper
a dipper; an old dry-measure unit for grain; something shaped like a cup or ladle
旧时量粮食的器具，也是容量单位；泛指斗形的东西。北斗指北斗七星。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 北斗běi dǒuthe Big Dipper斗 = dǒuspoken asbéi dǒu
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 斗 mean?
斗 (dòu) means to fight; to struggle against; to contend; to compete.
How do you pronounce 斗?
Its main reading is dòu. It also has a second reading, dǒu, which only shows up in certain words such as 北斗 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 斗 sometimes pronounced dǒu?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 北斗 it is read dǒu.
What parts is 斗 made of?
㇔ (dot stroke) and ㇔ (dot stroke) and ㇐ (horizontal stroke) and ㇑ (vertical stroke). The recorded source is: stroke-level decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data medians (4 strokes); no reliable component IDS available. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 斗 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 斗?
斗. 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 斗?
Common ones are 战斗 and 奋斗. The reading of 斗 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.