钓 (diào) is a Chinese character meaning “to fish with a hook and line”. It is written from 钅 (metal radical (left-side form of 金)) and 勺 (spoon; ladle), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to fish with a hook”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
钅 + 勺
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：釣，鉤魚也。从金勺聲。（简化字形 钓 = 钅 + 勺）
Memory aid
A metal hook (钅) hanging under a ladle-shaped curve (勺) — that bent piece of metal on the end of your line is how you fish.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 钓鱼diào yúto fish; to go fishing钓 = diàoHSK 3
- 钓竿diào gānfishing rod钓 = diào
- 沽名钓誉gū míng diào yùto fish for fame and compliments钓 = diào
Go deeper
All readings
to fish with a hook
to fish with a hook and line; to angle; (figuratively) to angle for something by scheming
用鱼钩、鱼线捕鱼；引申为用手段谋取。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 钓鱼diào yúto fish; to go fishing钓 = diàoHSK 3
- 钓竿diào gānfishing rod钓 = diào
- 沽名钓誉gū míng diào yùto fish for fame and compliments钓 = diào
Sound component
勺 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 钓 mean?
钓 (diào) means to fish with a hook and line; to angle; (figuratively) to angle for something by scheming.
How do you pronounce 钓?
It is pronounced diào.
What parts is 钓 made of?
钅 (metal radical (left-side form of 金)) and 勺 (spoon; ladle), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：釣，鉤魚也。从金勺聲。（简化字形 钓 = 钅 + 勺）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 钓 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 钓?
钅. 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 钓?
Common ones are 钓鱼 and 钓竿. The reading of 钓 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.