杜 (dù) is a Chinese character meaning “to shut out”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 土 (earth; soil), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to shut out; surname Du”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
木 + 土
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：木 4 画 + 土 3 画 = 7 画）
Memory aid
A tree (木) rooted in packed earth (土) — planted so solidly that nothing gets past it. Both parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 杜绝dù juéto put an end to; to eradicate; to stamp out杜 = dù
- 杜鹃dù juānazalea; cuckoo (bird)杜 = dù
Go deeper
All readings
to shut out; surname Du
to shut out; to block off; a birchleaf pear tree; the surname Du
堵住、断绝；也是一种木本植物（棠梨）的名称，并作姓氏用。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 杜绝dù juéto put an end to; to eradicate; to stamp out杜 = dù
- 杜鹃dù juānazalea; cuckoo (bird)杜 = dù
Sound component
土 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 杜 mean?
杜 (dù) means to shut out; to block off; a birchleaf pear tree; the surname Du.
How do you pronounce 杜?
It is pronounced dù.
What parts is 杜 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 土 (earth; soil), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：木 4 画 + 土 3 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 杜 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 杜?
木. 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 杜?
Common ones are 杜绝 and 杜鹃. The reading of 杜 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.