造 (zào) is a Chinese character meaning “to make”. It is written from 辶 (walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò)) and 告 (to tell; to announce), one enclosing the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to make; to build”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
辶 + 告
Enclosing structure
Structure from: 说文解字：造，就也。从辵，告声。现代字形 IDS ⿺辶告，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–6 为「告」，笔画 7–9 为「辶」（点、横折折撇、平捺）
Memory aid
A road (辶) runs under 告 (to announce). Both parts really are in this character: you walk the road and announce your plan until people help you build it — 造, to make.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 创造chuàng zàoto create; to bring into being造 = zào
- 造句zào jùto make a sentence造 = zàoHSK 4
- 伪造wěi zàoto forge; to counterfeit造 = zào
- 捏造niē zàoto fabricate; to make up (a story, facts)造 = zào
Go deeper
All readings
to make; to build
to make; to build; to create; to invent (a story or lie)
制作；建造；创造；也指编造、虚构。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 创造chuàng zàoto create; to bring into being造 = zào
- 造句zào jùto make a sentence造 = zàoHSK 4
- 伪造wěi zàoto forge; to counterfeit造 = zào
- 捏造niē zàoto fabricate; to make up (a story, facts)造 = zào
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 造 mean?
造 (zào) means to make; to build; to create; to invent (a story or lie).
How do you pronounce 造?
It is pronounced zào.
What parts is 造 made of?
辶 (walk; go — the "movement" radical (chuò)) and 告 (to tell; to announce), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：造，就也。从辵，告声。现代字形 IDS ⿺辶告，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–6 为「告」，笔画 7–9 为「辶」（点、横折折撇、平捺）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 造 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 造?
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 造?
Common ones are 创造 and 造句. The reading of 造 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.