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独

dú alone

9 strokes

独 (dú) is a Chinese character meaning “alone”. It is written from 犭 (dog / beast radical (side form of 犬)) and 虫 (insect; bug; worm), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.

Build the character for “alone”

Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.

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Structure

犭 + 虫

Left–right structure

  • 犭 dog / beast radical (side form of 犬) · quǎn meaning
  • 虫 insect; bug; worm · chóng simplified form

Structure from: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：独 9 画 = 犭 3 画 + 虫 6 画）

Memory aid

One beast (犭) on the left, one bug (虫) on the right — two creatures that never keep company. Each one stays alone.

This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.

Stroke order

9 strokes

In real words

  • 独立dú lìindependent; independence; to stand alone独 = dú
  • 单独dān dúalone; by oneself; on one's own独 = dú
  • 独树一帜dú shù yī zhìto fly one's own banner; to have a distinctive style of one's own独 = dúspoken asdú shù yí zhì
  • 惟独wéi dúonly; alone; except for独 = dú
Go deeper

All readings

dú main reading

alone

alone; single; only; by oneself; independent

单一的；只有一个；自己一个人。 — studyhanzi 编写

Words with this reading

  • 独立dú lìindependent; independence; to stand alone独 = dú
  • 单独dān dúalone; by oneself; on one's own独 = dú
  • 独树一帜dú shù yī zhìto fly one's own banner; to have a distinctive style of one's own独 = dúspoken asdú shù yí zhì
  • 惟独wéi dúonly; alone; except for独 = dú

Other characters with these parts

犭 → 犯犹狂狈狐狗狞狠

虫 → 浊烛茧萤虹虽虾蚀

Easy to confuse with

烛触

Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions

Questions people ask about this character

What does 独 mean?

独 (dú) means alone; single; only; by oneself; independent.

How do you pronounce 独?

It is pronounced dú.

What parts is 独 made of?

犭 (dog / beast radical (side form of 犬)) and 虫 (insect; bug; worm), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：独 9 画 = 犭 3 画 + 虫 6 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.

How many strokes does 独 have?

9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 独?

犬. 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 独?

Common ones are 独立 and 单独. The reading of 独 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.