蚪 (dǒu) is a Chinese character meaning “used in 蝌蚪 kēdǒu, tadpole”. It is written from 虫 (insect; bug; worm) and 斗 (to fight; dipper), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “tadpole”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
虫 + 斗
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS ⿰虫斗（现代字形，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画 0–5=虫、6–9=斗）; 斗 dǒu 与 蚪 dǒu 现代读音一致
Memory aid
A little creature (虫) shaped like a ladle (斗) — round head, long handle of a tail: a tadpole.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 蝌蚪kē dǒutadpole蚪 = dǒu
Questions people ask about this character
What does 蚪 mean?
蚪 (dǒu) means used in 蝌蚪 kēdǒu, tadpole.
How do you pronounce 蚪?
It is pronounced dǒu.
What parts is 蚪 made of?
虫 (insect; bug; worm) and 斗 (to fight; dipper), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS ⿰虫斗（现代字形，对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画 0–5=虫、6–9=斗）; 斗 dǒu 与 蚪 dǒu 现代读音一致. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 蚪 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 蚪?
虫. 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 蚪?
Common ones are 蝌蚪. The reading of 蚪 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.