徒 (tú) is a Chinese character meaning “on foot”. It is written from 彳 (a short step; the “double-person” left side) and 走 (to walk; to go), side by side, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “on foot; disciple”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
彳 + 走
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 徒，步行也。从辵土聲。现代字形按笔顺数据切分为 彳 + 走（辵 与 土 重组），走 在此不是独立表义单位，角色标 unknown
Memory aid
Small steps (彳) plus walking (走): no cart, no horse — just going on foot. A 徒 is someone who walks after a master: a disciple.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 学徒xué túapprentice徒 = tú
- 徒步tú bùon foot; hiking徒 = tú
- 歹徒dǎi túvillain; thug徒 = tú
- 匪徒fěi túgangster; bandit徒 = tú
Go deeper
All readings
on foot; disciple
on foot; apprentice, disciple, follower; (bad) person of a certain kind; in vain; merely
步行；跟从师傅学习的人、信仰或追随某种事物的人；某类人（多含贬义）；白白地；仅仅。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 学徒xué túapprentice徒 = tú
- 徒步tú bùon foot; hiking徒 = tú
- 歹徒dǎi túvillain; thug徒 = tú
- 匪徒fěi túgangster; bandit徒 = tú
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 徒 mean?
徒 (tú) means on foot; apprentice, disciple, follower; (bad) person of a certain kind; in vain; merely.
How do you pronounce 徒?
It is pronounced tú.
What parts is 徒 made of?
彳 (a short step; the “double-person” left side) and 走 (to walk; to go), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 徒，步行也。从辵土聲。现代字形按笔顺数据切分为 彳 + 走（辵 与 土 重组），走 在此不是独立表义单位，角色标 unknown. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 徒 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 徒?
彳. 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 徒?
Common ones are 学徒, 徒步, 歹徒. The reading of 徒 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.