How to Write 偷 (tōu) — Meaning “To steal / Secretly”

Imagine a person (亻) sneaking past a boat (俞) to steal something — the boat shape (俞) looks like a small vessel moving quietly. This picture of a thief creeping by a boat helps you recall both the sound tōu and the idea of secret stealing.

Write the left radical 亻 first (two strokes: slash and vertical), then the right side 俞 starting with the top part (撇, 捺, 横, 竖, 横折钩, 横, 竖, 竖钩, 横 — 9 strokes). A common mistake is making the right side too wide or confusing the lower part of 俞 (it has a 月-like shape but with two vertical lines inside, not 月).

偷 (tōu) means to steal, while 侮 (wǔ) means to insult or bully and has 每 (each) on the right, giving a different sound and meaning. 侯 (hóu) means marquis or a noble title, with the right side 矢 (arrow) plus a small stroke, and is pronounced differently — visually, the right parts are clearly distinct once you notice the key components.

偷 is commonly used in everyday words like 偷看 (to peek), 偷懒 (to slack off), and 偷听 (to eavesdrop), all describing secret or dishonest actions. Culturally, the character carries a negative connotation of sneaky behavior, and it appears in idioms like 偷梁换柱 (to steal a beam and replace it with a pillar — meaning to deceive or substitute secretly).

Common words containing 偷 include: 偷看 (tōu kàn) — To peek / To peep; 偷懒 (tōu lǎn) — To slack off; 偷听 (tōu tīng) — To eavesdrop.