拓 (tuò) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

拓

tuò[tuo4]Tone 4

to expand, develop, or push with the hand

HSK 7

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · to expand, develop, or push with the hand

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:8

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (Hand radical) must be compressed slightly to leave ample room for the right phonetic component 石, keeping the overall square balanced.

1. Meaning

to expand or open up

to push sth with the handto developsurname Tuo

VerbFormal#action#development#physical movement

Sample Usage

我们要开拓新的市场。
Wǒmen yào kāituò xīn de shìchǎng.
We need to open up new markets.
拓宽道路
tuòkuān dàolù
to widen a road

2. Sound

/[tʰu̯ɔ˥˩]/Tone: 51

拓

tuòtuo4

`(51)

=tuò

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

tuo

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "o" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Initial Consonant

Type: Aspirated Alveolar

Sounds like: t sound as in English 'top'

Aspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Explosive puff of breath! Tissue held before mouth MUST flutter.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip pressed against the alveolar ridge behind the upper front teeth, releasing a burst of air.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -o vowel group

Sounds like: -uo rhymes with 'wo' in 'woke'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'waw'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and plunges straight down, exactly like shouting 'No!' in anger or surprise.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the 4th tone falling pitch with the 2nd tone rising pitch, leading listeners to hear tuó instead of tuò.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, forceful downward chop with your hand, mirroring a stern command or a heavy stamp.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 8 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (Hand radical) must be compressed slightly to leave ample room for the right phonetic component 石, keeping the overall square balanced.

4. Components

Radical 扌 · Hand Radical (hands, actions done by hand)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 扌 (indicates an action performed with the hands, such as pushing or opening)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 石 (original sound: shí / tuò)

Combining the Hand radical (扌) on the left with the Stone character (石) on the right. Imagine using your hands to push or expand a heavy stone slab.

扌 Hand action
石 Stone / Phonetic clue

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

5· Phonetic Root: 石 (shí)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Formed by combining 扌 (hand) for the physical action of pushing or developing, and 石 (stone) which originally provided the phonetic sound.

Semantic Evolution: Originally meaning to push or support with the hand, it broadened conceptually to mean opening up wasteland, expanding territories, and general development.

In archaeology, 拓 (tà) can also refer to making rubbings from stone inscriptions, linking directly to the stone component.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

thác / thạch

Sino-Vietnamese reading maps to entering or falling tones.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: タク / Kun: ひら.く

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

탁

Sound Shift Bridge: Shared East Asian cultural vocabulary roots via classical Chinese literary terms.

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You use your HANDS (扌) to push against a heavy STONE (石) wall to EXPAND and open up a hidden passage.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

石

shístonePhonetic Core (声旁)

斫

zhuóto chop; to hack+ 斤 (axe)

柘

zhèa thorny tree; sugarcane+ 木 (tree)

跖

zhívariant of 蹠|跖[zhi2]+ 足 (foot)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

施(shī)

Uses the flag/steady radical (方) on the right instead of stone (石), meaning to execute or carry out.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

这家公司正在积极[___]海外市场。

Clue: tuò

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the right side component 石 with 右 or 左右, leading to incorrect stroke orders.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 拓 with the hand radical and stone, what action does it signify?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to expand / develop' (tuò)?

拓tuòto expand, develop, or push with the hand

Speed:

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