桶 (tǒng) is a Chinese character meaning “bucket”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 甬 (walled passage (as in 甬道); a common sound component), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “bucket; barrel”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
木 + 甬
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：4 笔木 + 7 笔甬 = 11 笔）；甬为 通/捅/涌 共用声符
Memory aid
Wood (木) staves around a hollow passage (甬): a wooden bucket. 甬 also hints at the sound — yǒng → tǒng.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 垃圾桶lā jī tǒngtrash can; rubbish bin; wastebasket桶 = tǒng
- 木桶mù tǒngwooden bucket; wooden barrel桶 = tǒng
Go deeper
All readings
bucket; barrel
bucket; pail; barrel; tub
盛水、油或其他东西的圆筒形器具。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 垃圾桶lā jī tǒngtrash can; rubbish bin; wastebasket桶 = tǒng
- 木桶mù tǒngwooden bucket; wooden barrel桶 = tǒng
Sound component
甬 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 桶 mean?
桶 (tǒng) means bucket; pail; barrel; tub.
How do you pronounce 桶?
It is pronounced tǒng.
What parts is 桶 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 甬 (walled passage (as in 甬道); a common sound component), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：4 笔木 + 7 笔甬 = 11 笔）；甬为 通/捅/涌 共用声符. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 桶 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 桶?
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 桶?
Common ones are 垃圾桶 and 木桶. The reading of 桶 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.