透 (tòu) is a Chinese character meaning “to pass through”. It is written from 辶 (walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò)) and 秀 (outstanding; to put forth ears (of grain)), one enclosing the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to pass through”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
辶 + 秀
Enclosing structure
- 辶 walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò) · chuò meaning
- 秀 outstanding; to put forth ears (of grain) · xiù sound
Structure from: 说文解字·新附: 透，跳也。过也。从辵秀声；hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–6 为「秀」，笔画 7–9 为「辶」
Memory aid
An ear of grain (秀) pushes its way along the road (辶) until it breaks right through — 透 means to pass through.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 透明tòu míngtransparent; see-through透 = tòu
- 透彻tòu chèpenetrating; thorough (of understanding or analysis)透 = tòu
- 晶莹剔透jīng yíng tī tòucrystal-clear; sparkling and transparent透 = tòu
- 渗透shèn tòuto permeate; to seep through; to infiltrate透 = tòu
Go deeper
All readings
to pass through; thoroughly
to pass through; to penetrate; to seep through; thoroughly; fully
穿过、渗过；也表示程度深、彻底。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 透明tòu míngtransparent; see-through透 = tòu
- 透彻tòu chèpenetrating; thorough (of understanding or analysis)透 = tòu
- 晶莹剔透jīng yíng tī tòucrystal-clear; sparkling and transparent透 = tòu
- 渗透shèn tòuto permeate; to seep through; to infiltrate透 = tòu
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 透 mean?
透 (tòu) means to pass through; to penetrate; to seep through; thoroughly; fully.
How do you pronounce 透?
It is pronounced tòu.
What parts is 透 made of?
辶 (walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò)) and 秀 (outstanding; to put forth ears (of grain)), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字·新附: 透，跳也。过也。从辵秀声；hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–6 为「秀」，笔画 7–9 为「辶」. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 透 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 透?
辶. 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 透?
Common ones are 透明 and 透彻. The reading of 透 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.