讨 (tǎo) is a Chinese character meaning “to discuss”. It is written from 讠 (speech radical) and 寸 (cun; inch), side by side, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “to discuss”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
讠 + 寸
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 討，治也。从言从寸 (简化后言作讠); 笔画数以 hanzi-writer-data 核验 2+3=5
Memory aid
Speech (讠) next to an inch (寸): you go over the matter word by word, measuring every one — that is what it means to discuss something, or to press someone for an answer.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 讨论tǎo lùnto discuss; discussion讨 = tǎo
- 讨厌tǎo yànto dislike; annoying讨 = tǎo
Go deeper
All readings
to discuss
to discuss; to study; to ask for; to provoke (a reaction)
商量、研究；向人索取或请求；引起某种反应。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 讨论tǎo lùnto discuss; discussion讨 = tǎo
- 讨厌tǎo yànto dislike; annoying讨 = tǎo
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 讨 mean?
讨 (tǎo) means to discuss; to study; to ask for; to provoke (a reaction).
How do you pronounce 讨?
It is pronounced tǎo.
What parts is 讨 made of?
讠 (speech radical) and 寸 (cun; inch), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 討，治也。从言从寸 (简化后言作讠); 笔画数以 hanzi-writer-data 核验 2+3=5. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 讨 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 讨?
讠. 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 讨?
Common ones are 讨论 and 讨厌. The reading of 讨 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.