How to Write 屠 (tú) — Meaning “to slaughter; to butcher”

Imagine a butcher (者) standing over a dead animal, which looks like the radical 尸 on the left. The 者 part even sounds like "jer" — think of a butcher saying "Jer, time to slaughter!" This visual of a person by a corpse helps link the shape to the meaning of slaughter.

The radical 尸 is written first with three strokes: horizontal fold, then left-falling stroke, then a short horizontal. After that, write 者 (nine strokes) — pay attention that the top of 者 (土) is narrower than the bottom (日). A common mistake is making the 尸 too wide; it should be slim so the whole character stays balanced.

屠 (slaughter) uses 者 on the right, while 屋 (house) uses 至 (arrive) on the right — 屋 means a building, not killing. 屌 is a vulgar character with 尸 on the left and 吊 hanging, and it is not related to butchery. Visually, 屠 has the extra strokes of 者, while 屋 looks like a house with 至 underneath.

屠 appears in words like 屠夫 (butcher, also used as an insult for a cruel person) and 屠杀 (massacre, often referring to war or genocide). It is also in 屠宰 (slaughtering animals for meat). Culturally, 屠 has a strong negative tone when used for people, so it is avoided in polite conversation unless discussing historical or literal butchery.

Common words containing 屠 include: 屠夫 (tú fū) — butcher; 屠宰 (tú zǎi) — to slaughter; butchery; 屠杀 (tú shā) — massacre; slaughter.