峭 (qiào) is a Chinese character meaning “steep”. It is written from 山 (mountain) and 肖 (to resemble; likeness), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “steep; sheer (of a cliff)”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
山 + 肖
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分 ⿰山肖，已对照 hanzi-writer 笔画数核验（山 3 + 肖 7 = 峭 10）
Memory aid
A mountain (山) beside 肖 (xiào) — 肖 hints at the sound qiào, and the mountain tells you it is about slopes: steep, sheer.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 陡峭dǒu qiàosteep; precipitous峭 = qiào
- 峭壁qiào bìcliff; sheer rock face峭 = qiào
Go deeper
All readings
steep; sheer
steep; precipitous; sheer (of a mountain or cliff); also: stern, severe
山势又高又陡；也形容严厉。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 陡峭dǒu qiàosteep; precipitous峭 = qiào
- 峭壁qiào bìcliff; sheer rock face峭 = qiào
Sound component
肖 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 峭 mean?
峭 (qiào) means steep; precipitous; sheer (of a mountain or cliff); also: stern, severe.
How do you pronounce 峭?
It is pronounced qiào.
What parts is 峭 made of?
山 (mountain) and 肖 (to resemble; likeness), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分 ⿰山肖，已对照 hanzi-writer 笔画数核验（山 3 + 肖 7 = 峭 10）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 峭 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 峭?
山. 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 峭?
Common ones are 陡峭 and 峭壁. The reading of 峭 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.