⼑

knife

dāo (dao1)

Radical no. 18 · 2 strokes (第 18 部首 · 2 画 dì 18 bùshǒu · 2 huà)

Radical ⼑ (dāo) — meaning: knife, 2 strokes.

Origin & mnemonic

This radical originates from a pictographic depiction of a knife blade in oracle-bone script. It represents the shape of a cutting blade or sword.

Mnemonic: The vertical stroke with a slight curve at the top resembles a sharp blade poised to cut.

87 characters

Stroke count

Sort

刿guì
cut
8 strokes
剀kǎi
used in 剴切|剀切[kai3 qie4]
8 strokes
前qián
front
HSK 1
9 strokes
克kè
to be able to
HSK 2
9 strokes
剑jiàn
variant of 劍|剑[jian4]
HSK 6
9 strokes
剃tì
shave
HSK 7
9 strokes
削xuē
to pare
HSK 7
9 strokes
剐guǎ
cut off the flesh as punishment
9 strokes
剌là
perverse
9 strokes
剅lóu
(dialect) an opening at the bottom of a dike for letting water in or out
9 strokes
剧jù
theatrical work (play, opera, TV series etc)
HSK 6
10 strokes
剥bō
to peel
HSK 7
10 strokes
剒cuò
to cut
10 strokes
剔tī
to scrape the meat from bones
10 strokes
剕fèi
amputation of limbs as corporal punishment
10 strokes
剖pōu
to cut open
10 strokes
剚zì
erect
10 strokes
剜wān
to scoop out
10 strokes
剞jī
used in 剞劂[ji1 jue2]
10 strokes
剟duō
to prick
10 strokes
剡shàn
river in Zhejiang
10 strokes
副fù
secondary
HSK 6
11 strokes
剪jiǎn
(bound form) scissors or similar tool
HSK 5
11 strokes
剳dá
hook
11 strokes
剩shèng
variant of 剩[sheng4]
HSK 5
12 strokes
割gē
to cut
HSK 7
12 strokes
剺lí
mark
13 strokes
剽piāo
to rob
13 strokes
剿jiǎo
to destroy
13 strokes
劀guā
(archaic) to scrape away decayed flesh or pus
14 strokes
劁qiāo
to neuter livestock
14 strokes
劂jué
used in 剞劂[ji1 jue2]
14 strokes
劄zhā
to prick with a needle
14 strokes
劈pī
to hack
HSK 7
15 strokes
劐huō
(coll.) to slit with a knife
15 strokes
劓yì
cut off the nose
16 strokes
劖chán
bore
19 strokes
劘mó
whittle
21 strokes
劙lí
a divide, to partition
23 strokes

Same stroke count or numerically adjacent in the 214-radical set.