陡 (dǒu) is a Chinese character meaning “steep”. It is written from 阝 (left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑)) and 走 (to walk; to go), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “steep”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
阝 + 走
Left–right structure
- 阝 left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑) · fù meaning
- 走 to walk; to go · zǒu unknown
Structure from: 现代字形拆分：陡 = 阝(阜) + 走；Unicode U+9661 radical 170 (阜)；hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0–1 笔为阝(2 画)，2–8 笔为走(7 画)，合计 9 画
Memory aid
A hillside (阝) so sharp you can barely walk (走) up it — that slope is steep. This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 陡峭dǒu qiàosteep; precipitous陡 = dǒu
- 陡坡dǒu pōsteep slope陡 = dǒu
Go deeper
All readings
steep
steep; precipitous; suddenly, abruptly
坡度大，近于垂直；也表示突然。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 陡峭dǒu qiàosteep; precipitous陡 = dǒu
- 陡坡dǒu pōsteep slope陡 = dǒu
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 陡 mean?
陡 (dǒu) means steep; precipitous; suddenly, abruptly.
How do you pronounce 陡?
It is pronounced dǒu.
What parts is 陡 made of?
阝 (left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑)) and 走 (to walk; to go), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分：陡 = 阝(阜) + 走；Unicode U+9661 radical 170 (阜)；hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0–1 笔为阝(2 画)，2–8 笔为走(7 画)，合计 9 画. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 陡 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 陡?
阝. 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 陡?
Common ones are 陡峭 and 陡坡. The reading of 陡 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.