盗 (dào) is a Chinese character meaning “to rob”. It is written from 次 (next in order; a time (occurrence)) and 皿 (dish; vessel), one above the other, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to steal”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
次 + 皿
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: IDS (cjkvi-ids ⿱次皿; makemeahanzi decomposition ⿱次皿), 对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画 0–5 / 6–10 核验
Memory aid
Time after time (次) someone sneaks back to the dish (皿) and takes a little more — that's stealing.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 海盗hǎi dàopirate盗 = dào
- 强盗qiáng dàorobber; bandit盗 = dào
- 盗贼dào zéithieves and robbers; bandits盗 = dào
Go deeper
All readings
to steal; robber
to rob; to steal; thief; robber
偷窃、抢劫；也指偷东西或抢东西的人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 海盗hǎi dàopirate盗 = dào
- 强盗qiáng dàorobber; bandit盗 = dào
- 盗贼dào zéithieves and robbers; bandits盗 = dào
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 盗 mean?
盗 (dào) means to rob; to steal; thief; robber.
How do you pronounce 盗?
It is pronounced dào.
What parts is 盗 made of?
次 (next in order; a time (occurrence)) and 皿 (dish; vessel), one above the other. The recorded source is: IDS (cjkvi-ids ⿱次皿; makemeahanzi decomposition ⿱次皿), 对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画 0–5 / 6–10 核验. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 盗 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 盗?
皿. 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 盗?
Common ones are 海盗, 强盗, 盗贼. The reading of 盗 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.