How to Write 抖 (dǒu) — Meaning “to shake; to tremble; to quiver”

Imagine a hand (扌) holding a metal dipper (斗) and shaking it violently to pour out grain. The dipper trembles and makes a "dough-dough" sound, reminding you of the pinyin dǒu and the meaning "to shake."

Write the left hand radical first: horizontal, vertical hook, then a sharp upward lift. On the right side, write the two dots first (top and upper-left), then the horizontal line, and finally the vertical stroke. A common mistake is making the right side 斗 too wide or placing the dots too far apart; keep them close together.

抖 (dǒu) means "to shake" or "tremble," while 扑 (pū) means "to pounce" or "to rush at." Visually, 抖 has 斗 on the right, which has two dots above a horizontal line, while 扑 has 卜, which is a single dot with a vertical stroke. The rare character 㧜 (not in modern use) looks different and has no common meaning.

抖 appears in common words like 发抖 (fā dǒu, to shiver from cold or fear) and 抖动 (dǒu dòng, to shake or vibrate an object). A cultural expression is 精神抖擞 (jīng shén dǒu sǒu), meaning "full of energy," as if one's spirit is actively shaking with vigor.

Common words containing 抖 include: 发抖 (fā dǒu) — To shiver; to tremble; 抖动 (dǒu dòng) — to vibrate; to shake; 精神抖擞 (jīng shén dǒu sǒu) — Full of energy; in high spirits..