逮 (dài) is a Chinese character meaning “to seize”. It is written from 辶 (walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò)) and 隶 (attached to; subordinate (modern shape: 彐 with a hooked vertical over 氺)), one enclosing the other, and takes 11 strokes. It has a second reading, dǎi, which turns up in 逮住 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “to seize; to arrest”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
辶 + 隶
Enclosing structure
- 辶 walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò) · chuò meaning
- 隶 attached to; subordinate (modern shape: 彐 with a hooked vertical over 氺) · lì sound
Structure from: 说文解字：逮，唐逮，及也。从辵隶声。IDS 拆分 ⿺辶隶，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–7 为「隶」，笔画 8–10 为「辶」（点、横折折撇、平捺）
Memory aid
隶 is someone attached to a master; 辶 is the road. A runaway 隶 dashes down the road (辶) and you chase until you catch them — 逮, to catch. Both parts really are in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 逮捕dài bǔto arrest逮 = dài
Go deeper
All readings
to seize; to arrest
to seize; to arrest; (literary) to reach, to come up to
捉拿；（书面）到，及。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 逮捕dài bǔto arrest逮 = dài
to catch (colloquial)
(colloquial) to catch; to capture
（口语）捉，抓。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 逮住dǎi zhùto catch; to grab hold of逮 = dǎi
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 逮 mean?
逮 (dài) means to seize; to arrest; (literary) to reach, to come up to.
How do you pronounce 逮?
Its main reading is dài. It also has a second reading, dǎi, which only shows up in certain words such as 逮住 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 逮 sometimes pronounced dǎi?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 逮住 it is read dǎi.
What parts is 逮 made of?
辶 (walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò)) and 隶 (attached to; subordinate (modern shape: 彐 with a hooked vertical over 氺)), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：逮，唐逮，及也。从辵隶声。IDS 拆分 ⿺辶隶，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–7 为「隶」，笔画 8–10 为「辶」（点、横折折撇、平捺）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 逮 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 逮?
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 逮?
Common ones are 逮捕. The reading of 逮 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.