How to Write 妒 (dù) — Meaning “Jealous”

Imagine a woman (女) standing behind a door (户), peeking out with a jealous expression as she watches others enjoy something she wants. This visual of hidden envy helps link the shape to the meaning "jealous."

Pay attention to the stroke order: first write the left radical 女 with 3 strokes, then the right side 户 with 4 strokes starting with the dot. A common mistake is making the 女 radical too wide — it should be narrow on the left to leave room for 户.

The right side is the key difference: 妒 has the door component 户, while 奴 (slave) has 又 (hand) on the right, and 奶 (milk) has 乃. Visually, 妒 looks like a woman beside a door, 奴 shows a woman with a hand (implying work), and 奶 uses a different right radical.

妒 appears mainly in words like 嫉妒 (jí dù, to be jealous) and 妒忌 (dù jì, to envy), describing a negative emotion of resentment. In Chinese culture, jealousy is often seen as a petty feeling, and the character carries a strong emotional weight, frequently used in stories and relationships.

Common words containing 妒 include: 嫉妒 (jí dù) — To be jealous; to envy.; 妒忌 (dù jì) — To be jealous of; 妒火 (dù huǒ) — Burning jealousy.