Hanzi Writer

How to Write 调 (diào/tiáo) — Meaning “To adjust; to tune; to transfer”

diào/tiáo HSK Level 3 10 strokes Radical: 讠

调 (diào/tiáo) means "To adjust; to tune; to transfer" in Chinese. It has 10 strokes with the radical 讠, and is HSK Level 3.

Rated 3.9/5 in difficulty (challenging).

Harder than 59% of HSK Level 3 characters.

Appears in 4+ common words including 调查 (diào chá), 调动 (diào dòng), 调节 (tiáo jié).

Due to its 10 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 调 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 调 - diào/tiáo

Practice Writing 调 (diào/tiáo)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 调 with real-time feedback.

App Store ▶ Google Play

How to Write 调

The character 调 (diào/tiáo) is written with 10 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 讠 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does diào/tiáo (调) Mean in Chinese?

调 means To adjust; to tune; to transfer.

This is a polyphonic character with readings: diào, tiáo.

As an HSK Level 3 character, 调 is an intermediate-level character.

Character Data

Character调
Pinyindiào / tiáo (diao/tiao)
MeaningTo adjust; to tune; to transfer
Strokes10
Radical讠
HSK Level3
Difficulty3.9/5

Origin of 调

The character 调 combines the radical 讠 (speech) with 周 (cycle, circumference). Originally, it depicted the act of harmonizing speech or sounds by adjusting them to a proper cycle or pitch, giving the meaning 'to tune' or 'to adjust'.

💡 Memory Tip: Imagine a speech bubble (讠) being perfectly tuned by rotating a dial shaped like a circle (周) until the sound is just right.

Common Words with 调

调查 diào chá
To investigate; to survey
调动 diào dòng
Transfer / Mobilize
调节 tiáo jié
Adjust / Regulate
调解 tiáo jiě
Mediate / Conciliate

Example Sentences

警方正在对这起交通事故的原因进行调查。

jǐng fāng zhèng zài duì zhè qǐ jiāo tōng shì gù de yuán yīn jìn xíng diào chá

The police are investigating the cause of this traffic accident.

经过多年努力，他终于被调动到总部工作。

jīng guò duō nián nǔ lì tā zhōng yú bèi diào dòng dào zǒng bù gōng zuò

After years of effort, he was finally transferred to work at the headquarters.

适当的运动可以帮助调节心情。

shì dàng de yùn dòng kě yǐ bāng zhù tiáo jié xīn qíng

Proper exercise can help regulate one's mood.

邻里之间发生矛盾，需要居委会出面调解。

lín lǐ zhī jiān fā shēng máo dùn xū yào jū wěi huì chū miàn tiáo jiě

When conflicts arise between neighbors, the neighborhood committee needs to mediate.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
调 (current) diào / tiáo 10 讠
诓 kuāng 8 讠
诔 lěi 8 讠
试 shì 8 讠
Stroke order practice for 调 - diào/tiáo

Practice Writing 调 (diào/tiáo)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 调 with real-time feedback.

✨ Animated stroke order · Handwriting recognition · HSK-graded practice · Free to use

App Store ▶ Google Play

Frequently Asked Questions about 调

The character 调 is made of the speech radical 讠 on the left, and 周 (meaning cycle or periphery) on the right. The speech radical links to communication, while 周 suggests a full range or cycle, so together they imply "to adjust" or "to tune" something by speaking or working through it completely.

More HSK Level 3 Characters

按àn把bǎ/bà握wò搬bān保bǎo持chí存cún险xiǎn证zhèng被bèi领lǐng较jiào赛sài化huà标biāo达dá格gé演yǎn并bìng播bō

Characters with Radical 讠

计jì订dìng讣fù认rèn讥jī讦jié讧hòng讨tǎo让ràng讪shàn

Other 10-Stroke Characters

㢆chán㼌yǔ䍃yóu丵zhuó乘chéng/shèng亳bó俯fǔ俱jù俳pái俸fèng