How to Write 到 (dào) — Meaning “To arrive / To reach.”

Imagine you have to cut (刂) through a long journey until you finally reach (至) your destination. This "cutting to arrive" image connects the two components and helps you recall the meaning 'to arrive'.

Stroke order: first write the left side 至 (6 strokes: horizontal, sloping fold, dot, horizontal, vertical, horizontal), then the right side 刂 (2 strokes: vertical hook, left-falling stroke). Common mistakes: make the last horizontal of 至 too short, or write the right side's vertical hook as a simple vertical line.

到 has the left part 至 and means 'to arrive', while 刎 (wěn) has 勿 on the left and means 'to cut the throat', and 刑 (xíng) has 开 on the left and means 'punishment'. All three have the 刂 radical on the right, but their left parts and meanings are completely different.

到 is used for arriving at a place or reaching a time, as in 到了 (dào le, 'Arrived') and 迟到 (chí dào, 'to be late'). It also appears in compound verbs like 看到 (kàn dào, 'to see') to mean 'to catch sight of'. In Chinese culture, saying 你到了吗? (Have you arrived?) is a common polite check.

Common words containing 到 include: 到了 (dào le) — Arrived.; 迟到 (chí dào) — to be late; 看到 (kàn dào) — to see; to catch sight of.