How to Write 舵 (duò) — Meaning “Rudder”

Imagine a boat (舟) with a little "ta" (它) attached to its back like a tail that steers it. The sound "duò" can remind you of "do" as in "do the steering." This visual linking helps you recall that 舵 is the rudder that guides the boat.

Write the 舟 radical first, keeping it narrow and making sure the bottom horizontal stroke turns into a hook. The right part 它 starts with a dot, then a roof-like stroke (宀), and ends with the 匕 component. A common mistake is making the 舟 too wide, which throws off the balance of the whole character.

All three have the boat radical 舟, but the right side changes the meaning. 舵 has 它 and means "rudder," while 舡 has 工 (gōng) and is a rare character for a type of boat. 舢 has 山 (shān) and appears in the word 舢板 (shān bǎn) meaning "sampan," a small wooden boat.

舵 appears in common words like 舵手 (helmsman) and 掌舵 (to steer, literally "hold the rudder"). It is also used metaphorically for leadership, as in 掌舵人 (the person at the helm of an organization). Though not in HSK, you may encounter it in stories about ships, navigation, or business leadership.

Common words containing 舵 include: 舵手 (duò shǒu) — Helmsman; 掌舵 (zhǎng duò) — to steer or be at the helm; 舵轮 (duò lún) — Steering wheel.