How to Write 读 (dú) — Meaning “To read; to study”

Imagine you are 'reading' a book (讠) and then 'selling' (卖) the knowledge you gained at a market. This silly image links the speech radical to the action of reading and the sound-like component 卖 to the concept of sharing what you learn.

Write the left radical 讠 first with two strokes (dot then short horizontal). For the right part 卖, write the top horizontal, then vertical, then the two dots, followed by the middle horizontal and the final component. A common mistake is mixing up the dots on the right part – they go inside the vertical strokes, not outside.

读 (dú) means 'to read' and uses the right component 卖. 诓 (kuāng) means 'to deceive' and has the right component 匡, while 诔 (lěi) means 'eulogy' and uses 耒. Visually, the right sides are clearly different; in usage, 读 is common for reading, but 诓 and 诔 are rare and have negative or formal meanings.

读 appears in everyday words like 读书 (dú shū, 'to study' or 'to read a book') and 阅读 (yuè dú, 'reading'). In Chinese culture, 读书 is highly valued as a path to success, reflected in phrases like '读书破万卷' (read ten thousand books), which encourages diligent study.

Common words containing 读 include: 读书 (dú shū) — To read; to study; 阅读 (yuè dú) — to read; reading; 读音 (dú yīn) — Pronunciation.