How to Write 跳 (tiào) — Meaning “To jump; to leap.”

Imagine a person using their feet (足) to jump over a small puddle that looks like the character 兆. This visual trick links the foot radical with the idea of leaping. The shape of 兆 can also remind you of two legs pushing off the ground.

The left radical 足 narrows slightly to make room for the right side, and its last stroke becomes a short upward flick. The right side 兆 must be written with the two strokes on the left correctly spaced, not touching the left radical. A common mistake is making the right side too wide or misplacing the dots above the 兆.

跳 (tiào) means "to jump" and uses the foot radical. 䠀 (tǎng) means "to wade" or "to step in water" and is rarely used today. 趺 (fū) means "to sit cross-legged" and appears mainly in Buddhist or literary contexts, not in everyday modern Chinese.

跳 is very common in daily life, especially in words like 跳舞 (dance) and 跳绳 (jump rope). It also appears in sports terms such as 跳高 (high jump). Culturally, dancing (跳舞) is a popular activity during festivals and celebrations in China.

Common words containing 跳 include: 跳舞 (tiào wǔ) — To dance.; 跳高 (tiào gāo) — High jump.; 跳绳 (tiào shéng) — Jump rope; skipping rope..