到 (dào) is a Chinese character meaning “to arrive”. It is written from 至 (to arrive; to reach) and 刂 (knife (side form)), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to arrive”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
至 + 刂
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·至部：到，至也。从至刀聲
Memory aid
至 already means "arrive"; the knife 刂 on the right is the sound part — it says dāo, and 到 says dào. Hear the knife, arrive at the meaning.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 到达dào dáto arrive; to reach (a place)到 = dàoHSK 4
- 找到zhǎo dàoto find; to locate (successfully)到 = dào
- 迟到chí dàoto be late; to arrive late到 = dào
- 到底dào dǐin the end; after all; to the very end到 = dào
- 捡到jiǎn dàoto find (something lying around); to pick up到 = dào
- 面面俱到miàn miàn jù dàoto attend to every aspect; thorough in every respect到 = dào
Go deeper
All readings
to arrive
to arrive; to reach; to go to; up to (a point in time or space)
来到；达到某个地点或时间。也表示动作有了结果。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 到达dào dáto arrive; to reach (a place)到 = dàoHSK 4
- 找到zhǎo dàoto find; to locate (successfully)到 = dào
- 迟到chí dàoto be late; to arrive late到 = dào
- 到底dào dǐin the end; after all; to the very end到 = dào
- 捡到jiǎn dàoto find (something lying around); to pick up到 = dào
- 面面俱到miàn miàn jù dàoto attend to every aspect; thorough in every respect到 = dào
Sound component
刀 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 到 mean?
到 (dào) means to arrive; to reach; to go to; up to (a point in time or space).
How do you pronounce 到?
It is pronounced dào.
What parts is 到 made of?
至 (to arrive; to reach) and 刂 (knife (side form)), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·至部：到，至也。从至刀聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 到 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 到?
刂. 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 到?
Common ones are 到达, 找到, 迟到. The reading of 到 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.