突 (tū) is a Chinese character meaning “sudden”. It is written from 穴 (cave; hole) and 犬 (dog), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “sudden”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
穴 + 犬
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿱穴犬；笔画核验 穴5 + 犬4 = 9）；说文解字 穴部：从犬在穴中
Memory aid
A dog (犬) bursts out of a cave (穴) without warning — that sudden dash is 突.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 突然tū ránsuddenly; sudden突 = tū
- 冲突chōng tūconflict; clash突 = tū
Go deeper
All readings
sudden; to dash out
sudden; abrupt; to charge forward; to break through; to stick out
忽然、出乎意料；猛冲、冲破；高出周围。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 突然tū ránsuddenly; sudden突 = tū
- 冲突chōng tūconflict; clash突 = tū
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 突 mean?
突 (tū) means sudden; abrupt; to charge forward; to break through; to stick out.
How do you pronounce 突?
It is pronounced tū.
What parts is 突 made of?
穴 (cave; hole) and 犬 (dog), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿱穴犬；笔画核验 穴5 + 犬4 = 9）；说文解字 穴部：从犬在穴中. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 突 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 突?
穴. 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 突?
Common ones are 突然 and 冲突. The reading of 突 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.