How to Write 赌 (dǔ) — Meaning “to gamble; to bet”

Think of a person (者) throwing their money (贝) into a pile for a risky bet. Imagine someone saying "I (者) bet (赌) all my shells (贝) on this horse!" This visual connects the parts to the meaning of gambling.

Write the left radical 贝 first, with the last stroke turning upward as a hook. Then write the right part 者: start with the horizontal stroke at the top, then a downward stroke, and be careful that the 日 (sun) part inside is narrow and centered. A common mistake is making the right side too wide, so keep 贝 and 者 balanced at similar width.

赌 (dǔ) means 'to gamble' and has the money radical 贝, while 贼 (zéi) means 'thief' and has the radical 贝 as well but a different right side, 则. 赌 focuses on betting with money, whereas 贼 is about stealing or a dishonest person. Also, 赌 is pronounced dǔ with a third tone, and 贼 is zéi with a second tone.

赌 is used in words like 赌博 (gambling) and 打赌 (to bet). Gambling is illegal in mainland China, so these terms often appear in warnings or news about illegal activities. However, 打赌 is commonly used in casual conversation for friendly wagers, like betting on a game outcome, without actual money.

Common words containing 赌 include: 打赌 (dǎ dǔ) — to bet; to wager; 赌博 (dǔ bó) — to gamble; gambling; 赌气 (dǔ qì) — to act out of spite; to feel wronged and act rashly.