How to write 都 (dōu, “all”)

都, an HSK 1 character, is read dōu for “all” and “even”, and also dū (“capital city”). The Chinese data draws 10 strokes, the Japanese data 11 strokes. On its own it is an HSK 1 word; it also forms 全都 (“all”), 首都 (“capital (city)”) and 大都 (“for the most part”). Japanese reads it to, “metropolis”, as a JLPT N3 kanji.

Pinyin: dōu, dū
Strokes: 10
HSK: 1
Radical: 阝 (“mound or town”)

Stroke by stroke

As a left-right character it splits into 者 (“one who ...”), strokes 1–8; 阝 (“mound or town”, the radical), strokes 9–10, written the left part first.

top leftrightwards
top leftdownwards
leftrightwards
topdown and left
leftdownwards
leftrightwards → downwards
leftrightwards
bottom leftrightwards
top rightrightwards → downwards → leftwards
topdownwards

Names of the strokes

Japanese and Chinese

KanjiVG draws it with 11 strokes and Make Me a Hanzi with 10 strokes. The reference lists do not confirm both counts, so this can be a convention of the two data sets rather than a difference in how it is taught.

Japanese · KanjiVG · 11 strokes

Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 10 strokes

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Pinyin and meaning

Pinyin	Meanings	Traditional	In words
dōu first tone	all; both; entirely; (used for emphasis) even; already; (not) at all	—	全都
dū first tone	capital city; metropolis	—	首都大都都市都会

HSK 2025 syllabus: level 1
2021 standard: level 1
HSK 2.0: in a level 1 word
Words with it: 34 in CC-CEDICT

Words with 都

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
都	dōu	all; both HSK 1
全都	quándōu	all; without exception HSK 4
首都	shǒudū	capital (city) HSK 4
大都	dàdū	for the most part; on the whole HSK 6
都市	dūshì	city; metropolis HSK 6
都会都會	dūhuì	city; metropolis HSK 7-9
国都國都	guódū	national capital
大都会大都會	dàdūhuì	major city; metropolis
大都市	dàdūshì	metropolis; large city
都市病	dūshìbìng	lifestyle diseases

HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).

Practice sheet

Print at 100%. Several characters: worksheet maker.

Keep going

HSK 1, in list order: