躲 (duǒ) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

躲

duǒ[duo3]Tone 3

to hide, to dodge, to avoid

HSK 5

Guru Deep Dive

English · to hide, to dodge, to avoid

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:13

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (身) is narrower and taller, while the right side (朵) is wider and opens up to balance the overall rectangular frame.

1. Meaning

to hide, dodge, or avoid

to get out of the wayto step aside

VerbNeutral#movement#action#safety

Sample Usage

快躲开！
Kuài duǒ kāi!
Quickly get out of the way!
他躲在门后面。
Tā duǒ zài mén hòumian.
He is hiding behind the door.

2. Sound

/[twɔ³⁵]/Tone: 35

躲

duǒduo3

ˇ(214)

=duǒ

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Alveolar

Sounds like: d sound like English 'd' in dog

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: No puff of air. Tissue remains still (sounds like English 't' in 'stop').

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tip of the tongue touches the alveolar ridge behind the upper front teeth, releasing crisply.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -o vowel group

Sounds like: rhymes with war or 'uo' sound

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

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

Tone

T3 (214)

2 → 1 → 4 (214)

3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises from mid to high pitch, exactly like the upward inflection when asking 'Huh?' in English.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the third tone rising contour with a dipping tone, or missing the 'u' medial glide before the 'o'.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Move your hand upward in a diagonal slash from low-middle to high, mirroring the rising inflection.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 13 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (身) is narrower and taller, while the right side (朵) is wider and opens up to balance the overall rectangular frame.

4. Components

Radical 身 · Body Radical (body, person)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 身 (indicates physical action involving the body (moving oneself away))

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 朵 (original sound: duǒ)

The body (身) bends or tucks itself away beneath the flower/branch shape of (朵), illustrating the act of dodging or hiding one's body.

身 body component providing the semantic base
朵 phonetic component providing the duǒ sound

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

6· Phonetic Root: 朵 (duǒ)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from 身 (body) for physical posture and 朵 (originally a flower or hanging cluster) for the phonetic reading, representing the physical action of ducking or shifting the body away.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred to physical body evasion; extended to avoiding trouble, obstacles, or people.

The character integrates the concepts of physical presence (身) and hanging/yielding movement (朵).

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

To **hide** (duǒ), your **BODY** (身) ducks under a **FLOWER** cluster (朵) so nobody can spot you.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

朵

duǒflower, measure word for clouds/flowersWithout the body radical on the left, it means a flower or blossom.

躲

duǒto hide, dodgeAdds the body radical (身) on the left to denote ducking with one's body.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

朵(duǒ)

朵 is just the right side (flower), whereas 躲 adds 身 (body) on the left for hiding.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

看见危险，他马上就[___]开了。

Clue: duǒ

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 躲 (duǒ) with 朵 (duǒ) when writing, omitting the body radical (身) on the left.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 躲 mean and how is it pronounced?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to hide / dodge' using the body radical and phonetic part?

躲duǒto hide, to dodge, to avoid

Speed:

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