倒 (dǎo) is a Chinese character meaning “to fall over”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 到 (to arrive; to reach), side by side, and takes 10 strokes. It has a second reading, dào, which turns up in 倒水 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “to fall over”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亻 + 到
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：2 笔亻 + 8 笔到 = 10 笔）
Memory aid
A person (亻) next to 到, "to arrive" — and 到 dào also lends its sound. Picture a person who arrives at the ground a little too fast: they have fallen over (倒 dǎo).
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 摔倒shuāi dǎoto fall down; to trip and fall倒 = dǎo
- 倒闭dǎo bìto go bankrupt; to close down (of a business)倒 = dǎo
- 倒戈dǎo gēto defect; to switch sides in battle (literally: to turn one's weapon around)倒 = dǎo
- 扳倒bān dǎoto pull down; to topple倒 = dǎo
- 晕倒yūn dǎoto faint; to pass out倒 = dǎo
- 绊倒bàn dǎoto trip someone up; to stumble and fall倒 = dǎo
Go deeper
All readings
to fall over
to fall over; to topple; to collapse; to go bankrupt; to change (trains, hands)
人或竖立的东西横躺下来；失败、垮台；转换、更换。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 摔倒shuāi dǎoto fall down; to trip and fall倒 = dǎo
- 倒闭dǎo bìto go bankrupt; to close down (of a business)倒 = dǎo
- 倒戈dǎo gēto defect; to switch sides in battle (literally: to turn one's weapon around)倒 = dǎo
- 扳倒bān dǎoto pull down; to topple倒 = dǎo
- 晕倒yūn dǎoto faint; to pass out倒 = dǎo
- 绊倒bàn dǎoto trip someone up; to stumble and fall倒 = dǎo
to pour; upside down
to pour; to turn upside down; to reverse; (adverb) contrary to expectation
把容器反转或倾斜使里面的东西出来；位置、顺序相反；表示与预料相反。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 倒水dào shuǐto pour water倒 = dào
Sound component
到 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 倒 mean?
倒 (dǎo) means to fall over; to topple; to collapse; to go bankrupt; to change (trains, hands).
How do you pronounce 倒?
Its main reading is dǎo. It also has a second reading, dào, which only shows up in certain words such as 倒水 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 倒 sometimes pronounced dào?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 倒水 it is read dào.
What parts is 倒 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 到 (to arrive; to reach), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：2 笔亻 + 8 笔到 = 10 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 倒 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 倒?
人. 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 倒?
Common ones are 摔倒 and 倒闭. The reading of 倒 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.