舵 (duò) is a Chinese character meaning “rudder”. It is written from 舟 (boat) and 它 (it (an animal or thing)), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “rudder; helm”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
舟 + 它
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分：Unicode U+8235 与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（笔画 0–5 = 左「舟」6 笔，6–10 = 右「它」5 笔，共 11 笔）；仅描述今形，不代表历史构形
Memory aid
On a boat (舟), the part at the back that steers it (它) is the rudder — this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 舵手duò shǒuhelmsman; steersman舵 = duò
- 掌舵zhǎng duòto steer (a boat); to be at the helm舵 = duò
Go deeper
All readings
rudder; helm
rudder; helm; steering device of a boat or aircraft
船、飞机等控制行进方向的装置。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 舵手duò shǒuhelmsman; steersman舵 = duò
- 掌舵zhǎng duòto steer (a boat); to be at the helm舵 = duò
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 舵 mean?
舵 (duò) means rudder; helm; steering device of a boat or aircraft.
How do you pronounce 舵?
It is pronounced duò.
What parts is 舵 made of?
舟 (boat) and 它 (it (an animal or thing)), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分：Unicode U+8235 与 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（笔画 0–5 = 左「舟」6 笔，6–10 = 右「它」5 笔，共 11 笔）；仅描述今形，不代表历史构形. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 舵 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 舵?
舟. 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 舵?
Common ones are 舵手 and 掌舵. The reading of 舵 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.