How to Write 祷 (dǎo) — Meaning “To pray.”

Imagine you are at a temple (礻) and you bow down to pray for a long life (寿). You can think: 'The spirit (礻) grants longevity (寿) when you 祷 (pray).' This visual connects the shape to the meaning.

Write the left radical 礻 first (4 strokes: dot, horizontal, vertical, dot), then the right part 寿 (7 strokes: two horizontal lines, a left-falling stroke, a dot, a horizontal, a vertical hook, and a final dot). A common mistake is confusing the order of the bottom strokes in 寿, especially the hook and dot. Keep the left side narrow and the right side slightly wider.

祷 uses 寿 on the right, meaning 'prayer for long life,' while 祓 has 犮 on the right and means 'to exorcise evil spirits.' 祖 has 且 on the right and means 'ancestor.' Visually, the right parts look different: 寿 has multiple short horizontals, 犮 has a diagonal stroke, and 且 has a single vertical line.

祷 appears in words like 祈祷 (qí dǎo, to pray) for general wishes or religious prayer, and 祷告 (dǎo gào) for Christian prayer. It is common in both religious and everyday contexts, such as praying for safety or good luck. Culturally, Chinese people often pray at temples for health or success, especially during festivals like the Lunar New Year.

Common words containing 祷 include: 祈祷 (qí dǎo) — to pray; prayer; 祷告 (dǎo gào) — To pray; prayer.; 祷念 (dǎo niàn) — To pray and remember; to recite prayers..