How to Write 沱 (tuó) — Meaning “Tuo (name of a river); a bend in a river”

Imagine a river (氵) that makes a sharp bend like the curved shape of the character 它, which looks like a snake with a long tail. This bend in the river is called a 沱, so picture a snake-shaped river turning to help you recall both the shape and meaning.

Write the water radical 氵 first (three dots from top to bottom), then the right part 它: dot, horizontal, horizontal, vertical, horizontal, and finally a curved hook. A common mistake is making the right part too wide—keep 它 compact so the left and right halves are balanced. Also, ensure the top dot of 它 aligns roughly with the first dot of 氵.

沱 (tuó) uses the water radical 氵 and means a river bend or river name, while 㳄 (xián, archaic) means saliva and has the radical 欠 (mouth open). 汊 (chà) also has the water radical but uses 叉 (fork) on the right, meaning a river branch or fork. Visually, 沱 has 它 on the right, 汊 has 叉, and 㳄 is completely different in radical and shape.

沱 appears in place names like 沱江 (Tuó Jiāng, a river in China) and in the tea term 沱茶 (tuó chá), a bowl-shaped compressed tea from Yunnan. It is also used in the idiom 滂沱 (pāng tuó, meaning torrential rain) to describe heavy downpours. Culturally, 沱茶 is a traditional gift and a distinctive product of Chinese tea culture.

Common words containing 沱 include: 沱茶 (tuó chá) — Tuocha (bowl-shaped compressed tea); 滂沱 (pāng tuó) — torrential (rain); 沱江 (tuó jiāng) — Tuojiang River.