鸵 (tuó) is a Chinese character meaning “ostrich (used in 鸵鸟)”. It is written from 鸟 (bird) and 它 (it (an animal or thing)), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “ostrich”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
鸟 + 它
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS 拆分 ⿰鸟它，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–4 为「鸟」，笔画 5–9 与「它」逐笔对应（5+5=10 画）
Memory aid
A bird (鸟) on the left, and 它 "it" on the right. 它 is here for the sound: tā points you toward tuó. Just like 驼 (camel) — the ostrich is the "camel bird".
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 鸵鸟tuó niǎoostrich鸵 = tuó
Go deeper
All readings
ostrich
ostrich (used in 鸵鸟)
用于「鸵鸟」，指一种不会飞、善于奔跑的大型鸟。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 鸵鸟tuó niǎoostrich鸵 = tuó
Sound component
它 family rime near
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 鸵 mean?
鸵 (tuó) means ostrich (used in 鸵鸟).
How do you pronounce 鸵?
It is pronounced tuó.
What parts is 鸵 made of?
鸟 (bird) and 它 (it (an animal or thing)), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS 拆分 ⿰鸟它，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–4 为「鸟」，笔画 5–9 与「它」逐笔对应（5+5=10 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 鸵 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 鸵?
鸟. 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 鸵?
Common ones are 鸵鸟. The reading of 鸵 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.