驼 (tuó) is a Chinese character meaning “camel”. It is written from 马 (horse) and 它 (it (an animal or thing)), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “camel”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
马 + 它
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS 拆分 ⿰马它，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「马」，笔画 3–7 与「它」逐笔对应（3+5=8 画）
Memory aid
A horse (马) on the left, and 它 "it" on the right. 它 is here for the sound, not the meaning: tā points you toward tuó. So: the horse whose name is just "it" — the camel.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 骆驼luò tuócamel驼 = tuóspoken asluò tuo
- 驼背tuó bèihunchback; to be hunchbacked驼 = tuó
Go deeper
All readings
camel; to carry on the back
camel; humped; (of an animal) to carry a load on its back
骆驼；也指背部像驼峰那样拱起，或牲口用背驮东西。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 骆驼luò tuócamel驼 = tuóspoken asluò tuo
- 驼背tuó bèihunchback; to be hunchbacked驼 = tuó
Sound component
它 family rime near
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 驼 mean?
驼 (tuó) means camel; humped; (of an animal) to carry a load on its back.
How do you pronounce 驼?
It is pronounced tuó.
What parts is 驼 made of?
马 (horse) and 它 (it (an animal or thing)), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS 拆分 ⿰马它，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 为「马」，笔画 3–7 与「它」逐笔对应（3+5=8 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 驼 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 驼?
马. 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 驼?
Common ones are 骆驼 and 驼背. The reading of 驼 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.