涂 (tú) is a Chinese character meaning “to smear”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 余 (surplus; remaining; I (literary)), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to smear; to apply”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
氵 + 余
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字「涂，水……从水余聲」；IDS 拆分 ⿰氵余，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–9 与「余」逐笔对应（3+7=10画）
Memory aid
Water (氵) beside 余 "surplus": wipe the surplus water around and you smear it on — to apply, to daub.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 涂抹tú mǒto apply (cream, paint); to smear on涂 = tú
- 涂鸦tú yāgraffiti; to doodle; to scrawl涂 = tú
Go deeper
All readings
to smear; to apply
to smear; to apply (paint, cream); to scribble; to cross out
把油漆、颜色、药膏等抹在物体上；随意乱写乱画；抹去。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 涂抹tú mǒto apply (cream, paint); to smear on涂 = tú
- 涂鸦tú yāgraffiti; to doodle; to scrawl涂 = tú
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 涂 mean?
涂 (tú) means to smear; to apply (paint, cream); to scribble; to cross out.
How do you pronounce 涂?
It is pronounced tú.
What parts is 涂 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 余 (surplus; remaining; I (literary)), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字「涂，水……从水余聲」；IDS 拆分 ⿰氵余，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「氵」三点，笔画 3–9 与「余」逐笔对应（3+7=10画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 涂 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 涂?
氵. 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 涂?
Common ones are 涂抹 and 涂鸦. The reading of 涂 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.