绕 (rào) is a Chinese character meaning “to wind or coil around”. It is written from 纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 尧 (Yao (legendary sage emperor); lofty, towering), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to wind around; to go around”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
纟 + 尧
Left–right structure
- 纟 silk; thread (left-side form) · sī meaning
- 尧 Yao (legendary sage emperor); lofty, towering · yáo sound
Structure from: 说文解字：繞，纏也。从糸堯聲。Modern glyph split checked stroke by stroke against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 (strokes 1–3 = 纟, strokes 4–9 = 尧).
Memory aid
The silk thread 纟 winds around 尧, the figure standing tall. Thread wrapped round and round something tall — that is 'to wind around', and to go around instead of straight through.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 围绕wéi ràoto revolve around; to surround; to center on绕 = rào
- 绕道rào dàoto make a detour; to take a roundabout route绕 = rào
Go deeper
All readings
to wind around; to go around
to wind or coil around; to circle around; to make a detour; to confuse or muddle
缠绕；围着转；不从正面通过而从旁边走；使迷糊。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 围绕wéi ràoto revolve around; to surround; to center on绕 = rào
- 绕道rào dàoto make a detour; to take a roundabout route绕 = rào
Sound component
尧 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 绕 mean?
绕 (rào) means to wind or coil around; to circle around; to make a detour; to confuse or muddle.
How do you pronounce 绕?
It is pronounced rào.
What parts is 绕 made of?
纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 尧 (Yao (legendary sage emperor); lofty, towering), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：繞，纏也。从糸堯聲。Modern glyph split checked stroke by stroke against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 (strokes 1–3 = 纟, strokes 4–9 = 尧).. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 绕 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 绕?
纟. 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 绕?
Common ones are 围绕 and 绕道. The reading of 绕 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.