条 (tiáo) is a Chinese character meaning “a long narrow strip”. It is written from 夂 (trailing foot; to go slowly) and 木 (tree; wood), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “long thin strip”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
夂 + 木
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：夂 3 + 木 4 = 7）
Memory aid
A slow-walking foot (夂) resting on top of a tree (木): you snapped one long thin twig off the tree — that is a 条, a strip.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 面条miàn tiáonoodles条 = tiáo
- 条件tiáo jiàncondition; requirement; terms条 = tiáo
- 有条不紊yǒu tiáo bù wěnorderly; methodical; in perfect order条 = tiáo
- 柳条liǔ tiáowillow twig; willow withe (used for weaving baskets)条 = tiáo
- 萧条xiāo tiáobleak; desolate; (economic) depression or slump条 = tiáo
Go deeper
All readings
long thin strip
a long narrow strip; an item or article (of a list); measure word for long thin things such as roads, rivers, fish and trousers
细长的东西；分项的事物。也作长条形事物的量词，如一条路、一条鱼。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 面条miàn tiáonoodles条 = tiáo
- 条件tiáo jiàncondition; requirement; terms条 = tiáo
- 有条不紊yǒu tiáo bù wěnorderly; methodical; in perfect order条 = tiáo
- 柳条liǔ tiáowillow twig; willow withe (used for weaving baskets)条 = tiáo
- 萧条xiāo tiáobleak; desolate; (economic) depression or slump条 = tiáo
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 条 mean?
条 (tiáo) means a long narrow strip; an item or article (of a list); measure word for long thin things such as roads, rivers, fish and trousers.
How do you pronounce 条?
It is pronounced tiáo.
What parts is 条 made of?
夂 (trailing foot; to go slowly) and 木 (tree; wood), one above the other. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：夂 3 + 木 4 = 7）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 条 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 条?
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 条?
Common ones are 面条 and 条件. The reading of 条 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.