How to Write 涛 (tāo) — Meaning “great waves; billows”

Imagine the right side 寿 as a person standing on a surfboard for a long time (寿) while the water (氵) makes huge waves underneath. The image of someone surfing for a long time on great waves helps link the sound tāo to the meaning.

The left radical 氵 should be written as three compact dots, slanting slightly downward, and the right side 寿 has a horizontal stroke through the middle that must cross the whole width. A common mistake is making the right side too narrow or forgetting the short horizontal stroke in the middle of 寿.

涛 (tāo) means 'great waves' and contains 寿 (long life) on the right, while 沫 (mò) means 'foam' and has 末 (tip/end) on the right, and 沭 (shù) is a river name with 术 (art) on the right. Visually, pay attention to the right-side component: 寿 (many strokes), 末 (tip), and 术 (art) look different.

涛 is often used in poetic or descriptive language for large ocean waves, such as in the common word 波涛 (bō tāo) meaning 'billows' and 浪涛 (làng tāo). It also appears in names and idioms like 惊涛骇浪 (jīng tāo hài làng), which describes terrifying waves and is used metaphorically for dangerous situations.

Common words containing 涛 include: 波涛 (bō tāo) — Great waves; billows.; 浪涛 (làng tāo) — great waves / billows; 涛声 (tāo shēng) — the sound of waves.