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偷 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
偷tōuto stealHSK 6, v, 11 strokes, radical 亻, rank #597, Hard
偷tōuto pilferHSK 6, v, 11 strokes, radical 亻, rank #597, Hard
偷tōuto snatchHSK 6, v, 11 strokes, radical 亻, rank #597, Hard
偷tōuthiefHSK 6, v, 11 strokes, radical 亻, rank #597, Hard
偷tōustealthilyHSK 6, v, 11 strokes, radical 亻, rank #597, Hard
偷tōuto steal; burglar, thiefHSK 6, v, 11 strokes, radical 亻, rank #597, Hard
tōu(tou1)tou T1
  1. 1to steal
  2. 2to pilfer
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March 24, 2026

偷tōu(tou1)

The character 偷 (tōu) means 'to steal' or 'to pilfer,' referring to the act of taking something that does not belong to you, often done secretly or stealthily. It can also imply a sense of sneakiness, as in stealthily obtaining something without being noticed. Common contexts include discussions about theft, burglary, or any illicit acquisition of property.

Strokes11Radical亻Frequency#597DifficultyHard
Cultural note

In Chinese culture, theft is often viewed with severe disapproval, reflecting deep-rooted values around respect for property and communal harmony. The concept of 'face' (面子, miànzi) is also tied to stealing, as being caught can lead to significant loss of reputation.

Memory tip

Imagine a sneaky thief tiptoeing away with a bag of stolen goods, representing the character 偷. The left component '亻' (rén) signifies a person, while the right component '偷' resembles a hand reaching out to snatch something. Think of 'tōu' as 'to' (as in going towards) and 'steal' together as a reminder of the action.

Meanings of 偷

tōu(tou1)
1to steal
2to pilfer
Exercise 1 of 3

By ear

Play it, then pick what 偷 means.

About 偷

偷Simplified
11Strokes
亻Radical
副词fùcíadverb (adv.)Part of Speech
#597Frequency Rank
HSK 2.0L5HSK 3.0L6IntermediateHSKKL3CEFRB2

Podcast: 偷

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Podcast: 偷

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AI study notes for 偷

Quick Contrast

盗 (dào) refers specifically to 'to rob' or 'to plunder,' often involving force or threat, while 偷 (tōu) emphasizes stealth and secrecy in the act of stealing.

Usage Notes

Be cautious with the tone of 'tōu'; it should always be pronounced in the first tone. A common mistake is mixing up with '头' (tóu), which means 'head.' Additionally, it is often used in phrases like 偷窃 (tōu qiè) meaning 'theft' and can carry a negative connotation, so it’s best used in informal contexts.

HSK Study Tips

At HSK Level 5, students should focus on understanding the implications of 偷 in various contexts, such as legal discussions or crime-related topics. This word is connected to other verbs of action, so practice using it with other verbs to enhance vocabulary richness.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 偷 (tōu) with 走 (zǒu), which means 'to walk away.' For example, saying '我想走东西' instead of '我想偷东西' is incorrect. Ensure you use '偷' when referring to stealing.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 偷

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Etymology of 偷

Formation typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 亻 represents the meaning and 俞 represents the sound.

Memory hint

person

Semantic (meaning)亻
+
Phonetic (sound)俞
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Origin

偷 = 亻 + 俞. What kind of character does that make it?

Decomposition of 偷

IDS Structure⿰亻俞
偷Full character
=
亻ren2
left
俞shu4
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Parts

Which of these is part of 偷?

How to say to steal in Chinese

“to steal” in Chinese is偷tōu

The character 偷 (tōu) means 'to steal' or 'to pilfer,' referring to the act of taking something that does not belong to you, often done secretly or stealthily. It can also imply a sense of sneakiness, as in stealthily obtaining something without being noticed. Common contexts include discussions about theft, burglary, or any illicit acquisition of property.

When to use 偷

Be cautious with the tone of 'tōu'; it should always be pronounced in the first tone. A common mistake is mixing up with '头' (tóu), which means 'head.' Additionally, it is often used in phrases like 偷窃 (tōu qiè) meaning 'theft' and can carry a negative connotation, so it’s best used in informal contexts.

偷 or something close to it

盗 (dào) refers specifically to 'to rob' or 'to plunder,' often involving force or threat, while 偷 (tōu) emphasizes stealth and secrecy in the act of stealing.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 偷 (tōu) with 走 (zǒu), which means 'to walk away.' For example, saying '我想走东西' instead of '我想偷东西' is incorrect. Ensure you use '偷' when referring to stealing.

Write 偷

偷

Practice writing 偷 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Grammar patterns of 偷

偷 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 6 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.

Related grammar lessons6
Exercise 1 of 4

Fill the gap

Type the missing word. Pinyin works; then pick the character.

我____偷送给他一件礼物。

I secretly gave him a gift.

Common confusions with 偷

偷vs头
tóu

Similar pronunciation but different meanings.

偷vs透
tòu

Both share the '氵' radical but have different meanings.

Both mean to take something, but 偷 implies stealth, while 抢 implies force.

1

他偷了钱 vs. 他抢了钱

Both mean to take something, but 偷 implies stealth, while 抢 implies force.

💡偷 sounds like 'toe' - sneak in quietly like a toe, while 抢 sounds more aggressive.
Exercise 1 of 1

Which one

Which one means “to steal”?

or

Example sentences for 偷 (15)

Listen to all sentences once to receive XP
1
这种做生意的方式偷偷摸摸，遮遮掩掩。

zhè zhǒng zuòshēngyì de fāngshì tōutōu mō mō， zhē zhē yǎn yǎn。

It is a sneaky and underhand way of doing business.
2
有人偷了某个影星的钻石了吗?

yǒurén tōu le mǒu gè yǐngxīng de zuànshí le ma?

Has somebody helped himself to some film star's diamonds?
3
他们挣脱后开着一辆偷来的车逃之夭夭。

tāmen zhèng tuō hòu kāi zhe yī liàng tōu lái de chē táo zhī yāo yāo。

They broke free and made off in a stolen car.
4
只有一名穿制服的无聊警卫可能偷听到了他们的谈话。

zhǐyǒu yī míng chuān zhìfú de wúliáo jǐng wèi kěnéng tōu tīngdào le tāmen de tánhuà。

Only a uniformed guard stultified with boredom might have overheard them.
5
他17岁就有了小偷小摸的犯罪前科。

tā17 suì jiù yǒu le xiǎo tōu xiǎo mō de fànzuì qián kē。

At 17, he had a criminal record for petty theft.
6
又有两个经理因偷税漏税指控被传唤到沃辛治安法庭。

yòu yǒu liǎng gè jīnglǐ yīn tōu shuì lòushuì zhǐkòng bèi chuán huàn dào wò Xīn zhì’ān fǎtíng。

Two other executives appeared at Worthing Magistrates' Court charged with tax fraud.
7
3个坐在我附近的学童突然偷偷地笑了起来。

3 gè zuò zài wǒ fùjìn de xué tóng tūrán tōutōu dì xiào le qǐlái。

Suddenly, three schoolkids sitting near me started sniggering.
8
我们发现他从我们家偷东西已经好多年了。

wǒmen fāxiàn tā cóng wǒmen jiā tōu dōngxi yǐjīng hǎoduō nián le。

We found out he'd been stealing from us for years.
9
他可不是个会偷懒的人，他是他们最好的工人。

tā kěbúshi gè huì tōulǎn de rén， tā shì tāmen zuìhǎo de gōngrén。

He's not a slacker, he's the best worker they've got.
10
在暴乱中成百上千的人纷纷趁机偷窃财物。

zài bào luàn zhōng chéng bǎi shàng qiān de rén fēnfēn chènjī tōu qiè cáiwù。

During the riots hundreds of people seized the opportunity to steal property.
11
在博物馆里，小偷试图偷走一幅名画，但最终被捕。

Zài bówùguǎn lǐ, xiǎotōu shìtú tōuzǒu yī fú mínghuà, dàn zuìzhōng bèi bǔ.

In the museum, the thief tried to steal a famous painting but was eventually caught.
12
小明被发现偷邻居家的苹果，结果被严厉批评。

Xiǎo Míng bèi fāxiàn tōu línjū jiā de píngguǒ, jiéguǒ bèi yánlì pīpíng.

Xiao Ming was caught stealing apples from the neighbor's house and was severely criticized.
13
他因为偷公司的机密文件而被解雇。

Tā yīnwèi tōu gōngsī de jīmì wénjiàn ér bèi jiěgù.

He was fired for stealing confidential documents from the company.
14
警察发现有人从博物馆偷走了一件珍贵的文物。

Jǐngchá fāxiàn yǒurén cóng bówùguǎn tōuzǒu le yī jiàn zhēnguì de wénwù.

The police discovered that someone had stolen a valuable artifact from the museum.
15
为了追求刺激，他常常偷偷去商店里偷东西。

Wèile zhuīqiú cìjī, tā chángcháng tōutōu qù shāngdiàn lǐ tōu dōngxi.

For the thrill, he often sneaks into stores to steal things.

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Word Family of 偷

Words containing this character20
偷tōuto steal
偷偷tōutōustealthily
小偷xiǎotōuthief
偷拍tōupāito take a picture of a person without permission or without their knowledge
偷窃tōuqièto steal偷竊
偷袭tōuxíto raid偷襲
偷看tōukànto peep
偷懒tōulǎnto goof off偷懶
偷情tōuqíngto carry on a clandestine love affair
偷窥tōukuīto peep偷窺
偷听tōutīngto eavesdrop偷聽
偷偷摸摸tōutōumōmōsurreptitious
偷盗tōudàoto steal偷盜
偷渡tōudùillegal immigration
偷税tōushuìtax evasion偷稅
偷工减料tōugōngjiǎnliàojerry-building偷工減料
偷运tōuyùnto smuggle偷運
偷漏tōulòuto evade (taxes)
偷梁换柱tōuliánghuànzhùto replace the original with a fake偷梁換柱
偷生tōushēngto live without purpose
Exercise 1 of 4

Words with 偷

What does 偷偷 mean?

Frequently asked questions about 偷

Some synonyms for 偷 (tōu) include 盗 (dào), which also means 'to steal,' and 窃 (qiè), which carries a similar meaning. Each of these words can have slightly different connotations depending on the context.

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