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祷 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
Hanzi
Pinyin
English
Tags
祷
dǎo
to pray, to entreat, to beg; prayer
vg, 11 strokes, radical 礻, rank #24492, Very Hard
祷
dǎo
pray
unknown, 11 strokes, radical 礻, rank #24492, Very Hard
祷
dǎo
supplication
unknown, 11 strokes, radical 礻, rank #24492, Very Hard
dǎo(dao3)dao T3
1to pray, to entreat, to beg; prayer
2pray
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March 24, 2026
祷(禱)dǎo(dao3)
The character 祷 (dǎo) means 'to pray' or 'to entreat.' It is often used in religious contexts, where individuals express desires or seek assistance from a higher power. The nuance of this character conveys a sense of earnestness and humility in the act of supplication.
Strokes11Radical礻Frequency#24492DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural note
In Chinese culture, prayer is often linked to ancestral worship and seeking blessings from deities. The act of praying at temples during festivals is a common practice, reflecting the importance of spirituality in daily life.
Memory tip
Imagine a person kneeling with hands together in prayer, where the left side of the character (示) represents a shrine or altar, and the right side (刀) symbolizes a knife cutting through challenges, showing the earnestness of their request. The pronunciation 'dǎo' sounds like 'doll,' which can remind you of a child praying for their doll's safety.
Meanings of 祷
dǎo(dao3)
1to pray, to entreat, to beg; prayer
2pray
Exercise 1 of 2
By ear
Play it, then pick what 祷 means.
About 祷
祷Simplified
禱Traditional
11Strokes
礻Radical
动语素dòngcíverb root (v.root)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank
Podcast: 祷
Podcast: 祷
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AI study notes for 祷
Quick Contrast
祈 (qí) — use 祷 (dǎo) when emphasizing earnest supplication, while 祈 (qí) is more general and can imply a simpler wish or hope.
Usage Notes
Avoid using 祷 in overly casual contexts, as it carries a formal or spiritual weight. Common collocations include 祷告 (dǎogào), meaning 'to pray' in a religious sense. Be careful with the tone; mispronouncing it with a different tone can lead to confusion with unrelated words.
HSK Study Tips
While 祷 is not included in the HSK levels, it connects to other religious or spiritual vocabulary in Chinese. Focus on memorizing this character alongside related terms like 祈祷 (qídǎo, to pray) to deepen understanding of its usage.
Common Mistakes
Learners often confuse 祷 with 祝, mistakenly using 祝 when they intend to express a prayerful sentiment. For example, saying 祝你健康 (Zhù nǐ jiànkāng) instead of 祷告你健康 (Dǎogào nǐ jiànkāng) when conveying a prayer for health.
AI-enhanced 2026-03-24
Pronunciation of 祷
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Example
Learning Lab
Knowing 祷 is seven skills, not one.
Its meaning, its character, its pinyin, its tone — hearing it, saying it, writing it. The Learning Lab measures each one from your own practice, on every word you study, so you see what you actually know rather than how much you have done.
祷 = 礻 + 寿. What kind of character does that make it?
Decomposition of 祷
IDS Structure⿰礻寿
祷Full character
=
礻shi4
left
寿Shou4
right
Exercise 1 of 2
Parts
Which of these is part of 祷?
How to say to pray, to entreat, to beg; prayer in Chinese
“to pray, to entreat, to beg; prayer” in Chinese is祷dǎo
The character 祷 (dǎo) means 'to pray' or 'to entreat.' It is often used in religious contexts, where individuals express desires or seek assistance from a higher power. The nuance of this character conveys a sense of earnestness and humility in the act of supplication.
When to use 祷
Avoid using 祷 in overly casual contexts, as it carries a formal or spiritual weight. Common collocations include 祷告 (dǎogào), meaning 'to pray' in a religious sense. Be careful with the tone; mispronouncing it with a different tone can lead to confusion with unrelated words.
祷 or something close to it
祈 (qí) — use 祷 (dǎo) when emphasizing earnest supplication, while 祈 (qí) is more general and can imply a simpler wish or hope.
What learners get wrong
Learners often confuse 祷 with 祝, mistakenly using 祝 when they intend to express a prayerful sentiment. For example, saying 祝你健康 (Zhù nǐ jiànkāng) instead of 祷告你健康 (Dǎogào nǐ jiànkāng) when conveying a prayer for health.
Write 祷
祷
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Practice writing 祷 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.
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Grammar patterns of 祷
祷 functions as a verb — the action or state of the sentence. The Chinese order is Subject + Verb + Object (我吃饭). Negate it with 不 (habitual / future) or 没(有) (completed action). Add aspect markers like 了, 过, 着 directly after the verb. It carries 3 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.
Exercise 1 of 4
Fill the gap
Type the missing word. Pinyin works; then pick the character.
这位上校低头轻声做感恩祈____。
The Colonel bowed his head and whispered a prayer of thanksgiving.
