脱 (tuō) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

脱

tuō[tuo1]Tone 1

to shed, to take off, to escape

HSK 4

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脫

Guru Deep Dive

English · to shed, to take off, to escape

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:11

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (flesh/moon 月) should be slightly narrower, leaving ample room for the right component (兑). Keep vertical lines balanced.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 脫 has the exact same structure as the simplified form 脱. Both use 月 (flesh/body) on the left and 兑 on the right.

1. Meaning

to take off (clothing)

to shed or cast off (skin, feathers, etc.)to escape or get away fromto omit or drop out

VerbNeutral#action#clothing#movement

Sample Usage

请把外套脱下来。
Qǐng bǎ wàitào tuō xiàlái.
Please take off your coat.
他终于脱离了危险。
Tā zhōngyú tuōlí le wēixiǎn.
He finally escaped from danger.

2. Sound

/[tʰu̯ɔ⁵⁵]/Tone: 55

脱

tuōtuo1

¯(55)

=tuō

Initial Consonant

Type: Aspirated Alveolar

Sounds like: t like in top

Aspirated

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

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge behind the upper front teeth, releasing with a strong puff of air.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -o vowel group

Sounds like: rhymes with wa in water

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

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

Tone

T1 (55)

5 → 5 (55)

1st Tone (High-Flat)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 stays flat and high, like a musical note sung steadily without rising or falling.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the high flat tone (Tone 1, tuō) with the rising tone (Tone 2, tuó) or falling-rising tone (Tone 3, tuǒ).

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A high, flat gesture like a singing note held steady at the top of your vocal range, matching Tone 1.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 11 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (flesh/moon 月) should be slightly narrower, leaving ample room for the right component (兑). Keep vertical lines balanced.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 脫 has the exact same structure as the simplified form 脱. Both use 月 (flesh/body) on the left and 兑 on the right.

4. Components

Radical 月 · Flesh radical (flesh, body part)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 月 (Indicates body or physical condition when taking off something.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 兑 (original sound: duì / tuō)

The flesh radical 月 (representing the body) is combined with 兑 (exchange/release), showing the action of releasing or shedding something from one's body, like taking off clothes or shedding skin.

月 flesh / body
兑 phonetic clue and sense of exchanging or releasing

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

5· Phonetic Root: 兑 (duì)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from 月 (flesh/body) and 兑 (to express, open, or release), originally conveying the idea of opening up or letting go of what is attached to the body.

Semantic Evolution: From shedding body coverings or skin, it broadened to mean escaping constraints, omitting elements, or getting away from danger.

The character bridges physical actions (taking off clothes) with abstract concepts (escaping danger).

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ダツ (datsu) / Kun: ぬ.ぐ (nugu), ぬ.げる (nugeru)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

탈

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine stripping off your clothes (脱) from your body (月) because you are exchanging (兑) them for a lighter outfit.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

说

shuōto speakUses speech radical 讠 instead of body radical 月.

悦

yuèdelightedUses heart radical 忄, meaning joyful in the heart.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

说(shuō)

说 has the speech radical (讠), whereas 脱 has the flesh/body radical (月).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

进屋以后，请把外衣[___]下来。

Clue: tuō

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the phonetic component 兑 with other radicals, leading to incorrect handwriting combinations with the flesh radical 月.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 脱 mean when paired with 外套 (coat)?

Production: How do you write the verb meaning 'to take off' or 'to escape' (tuō)?

脱tuōto shed, to take off, to escape

Speed:

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