脱 (tuō) is a Chinese character meaning “to take off (clothes, shoes)”. It is written from 月 (moon; month) and 兑 (to exchange; to convert (as in 兑换)), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to take off; to shed”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
月 + 兑
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分：脱 = 月（肉月）+ 兑；Unicode U+8131 radical 130 (肉)；hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0–3 笔为月(4 画)，4–10 笔为兑(7 画)，合计 11 画。兑 duì 与 脱 tuō 今音已分化，仅按今形判为声符位置，不追溯上古来源。
Memory aid
月 on the left here is the "flesh" part used for body words; 兑 means "to exchange". To exchange what is on your body, you first take it off.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 摆脱bǎi tuōto break away from; to get rid of脱 = tuō
- 脱离tuō líto separate from; to break away from脱 = tuō
- 洒脱sǎ tuōfree and easy; unconstrained脱 = tuō
Go deeper
All readings
to take off; to shed; to get away from
to take off (clothes, shoes); to shed; to come off; to escape from; to omit
取下、除去（衣物等）；（皮、毛等）脱落；离开，摆脱；漏掉。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 摆脱bǎi tuōto break away from; to get rid of脱 = tuō
- 脱离tuō líto separate from; to break away from脱 = tuō
- 洒脱sǎ tuōfree and easy; unconstrained脱 = tuō
Sound component
兑 family
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 脱 mean?
脱 (tuō) means to take off (clothes, shoes); to shed; to come off; to escape from; to omit.
How do you pronounce 脱?
It is pronounced tuō.
What parts is 脱 made of?
月 (moon; month) and 兑 (to exchange; to convert (as in 兑换)), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分：脱 = 月（肉月）+ 兑；Unicode U+8131 radical 130 (肉)；hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0–3 笔为月(4 画)，4–10 笔为兑(7 画)，合计 11 画。兑 duì 与 脱 tuō 今音已分化，仅按今形判为声符位置，不追溯上古来源。. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 脱 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 脱?
肉. 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 脱?
Common ones are 摆脱, 脱离, 洒脱. The reading of 脱 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.