掏
Character learning workspace

tāo · to take out

Master the form, understand its parts, and learn how it behaves in real Chinese.

HSK 2.0 · Level 6HSK 3.0 · Level 6Frequency #5068
Watch · inspect · write

Learn every stroke in 掏

Replay the complete order, pause on difficult movements, inspect one stroke at a time, then write it yourself with live correction.

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Stroke graphics: Make Me a Hanzi / Arphic Public License
Step-by-step explorer

See how 掏 is constructed

Switch between the accumulated form and the isolated movement of each stroke.

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Character anatomy

Understand the reusable parts

The decomposition shows how the visual pieces fit together, not necessarily the character’s historical origin.

Writing notes

Shape and proportion

11Total strokes

Count each continuous pen movement once, including turns and hooks.

Left-rightCharacter structure

Keep the left side compact and leave enough room for the right side.

扌Key radical

Use the highlighted radical in the animation as a visual anchor for remembering the form.

Print and practise

Download a 掏 writing sheet

Get a ready-to-use A4 sheet immediately, or open the full builder to change its grid and guidance.

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Includes the stroke sequence, progressive tracing, and blank writing squares. Generated locally in your browser.

Vocabulary in context

Common words with 掏

Open a word for its full breakdown, or listen before reading the meaning.

Read and listen

Example sentences

Notice where 掏 sits in each complete thought.

Nán zǐ cóng kǒu dài zhōng tāo chū qiāng, xià le wǒ yí tiào.男子从口袋中掏出枪,吓了我一跳。

To my horror, the man took a gun out of his pocket.

Source: Tatoeba #623190 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Tāng mǔ tāo chū yàoshi kāi le mén.汤姆掏出钥匙开了门。

Tom took out his key and opened the door.

Source: Tatoeba #4764580 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Tāng mǔ tāo qián jié zhàng.湯姆掏錢結帳。

Tom took out his wallet and paid the bill.

Source: Tatoeba #13670882 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Turn reference into recall

How to study 掏 in context

  1. Say tāo, then recall the core meaning: to take out.
  2. Write all 11 strokes while keeping the left-right balanced.
  3. Use it in 掏腰包 (tāo yāo bāo), meaning “to dip into one's pocket”.
  4. Read the complete sentence aloud once, then cover the translation and explain how 掏 works in that context.

Definitions and traditional forms are compiled from Make Me a Hanzi, HSK curriculum data, and CC-CEDICT. Sourced example sentences link to Tatoeba; editorial examples are labeled separately. Review data sources and licenses.