途 (tú) is a Chinese character meaning “way”. It is written from 辶 (walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò)) and 余 (surplus; remaining; I (literary)), one enclosing the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “route; way”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
辶 + 余
Enclosing structure
- 辶 walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò) · chuò meaning
- 余 surplus; remaining; I (literary) · yú sound
Structure from: IDS 拆分 ⿺辶余，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–6 为「余」（撇、捺、横、横、竖钩、点、点），笔画 7–9 为「辶」（点、横折折撇、平捺）；余 yú 与 途 tú 声韵皆不同，声符一致度按 diverged 记
Memory aid
Both parts are really in this character: 余 (the remaining part) rides on the road radical 辶. The road still remaining ahead of you is your journey — 途 means route, way.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 前途qián túfuture; prospects途 = tú
- 途径tú jìngway; channel; means of doing something途 = tú
Go deeper
All readings
route; way; road
way; route; road; journey
道路；路程。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 前途qián túfuture; prospects途 = tú
- 途径tú jìngway; channel; means of doing something途 = tú
Sound component
余 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 途 mean?
途 (tú) means way; route; road; journey.
How do you pronounce 途?
It is pronounced tú.
What parts is 途 made of?
辶 (walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò)) and 余 (surplus; remaining; I (literary)), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: IDS 拆分 ⿺辶余，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–6 为「余」（撇、捺、横、横、竖钩、点、点），笔画 7–9 为「辶」（点、横折折撇、平捺）；余 yú 与 途 tú 声韵皆不同，声符一致度按 diverged 记. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 途 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 途?
辶. 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 途?
Common ones are 前途 and 途径. The reading of 途 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.