How to Write 脱 (tuō) — Meaning “to take off; to shed; to escape”

Imagine a person saying 'duì' (兑) as they quickly pull off their shirt (⺼) to escape the heat. The left side looks like a piece of meat or body part, and the right side sounds like 'do it' — so you 'do it' and take off your clothes.

When writing 脱, the left radical ⺼ should be narrow and tall, with the bottom hook finishing cleanly. The right part 兑 must have the top '八' open wide and the bottom '儿' balanced — a common mistake is making the right side too narrow or forgetting the extra stroke in 兑.

脱 (tuō) means 'to take off' and has the radical ⺼ with 兑 on the right. 胃 (wèi) means 'stomach' and has the radical ⺼ with 田 (field) above, while 胆 (dǎn) means 'gallbladder' or 'courage' with the radical ⺼ and 旦 (dawn). Focus on the right-side component to distinguish them.

脱 is very common for removing clothing or shoes, like 脱衣服 (tuō yī fú) 'take off clothes'. It also appears in medical terms like 脱发 (tuō fà) 'hair loss'. Culturally, Chinese people often say '脱鞋' when entering a home, as it is customary to remove shoes indoors.

Common words containing 脱 include: 脱衣服 (tuō yī fú) — to take off clothes; 脱鞋 (tuō xié) — to take off shoes; 脱发 (tuō fà) — hair loss; alopecia.