Hanzi Writer

How to Write 鼍 (tuó) — Meaning “Chinese alligator”

tuó 20 strokes Radical: 黾

鼍 (tuó) means "Chinese alligator" in Chinese. It has 20 strokes with the radical 黾.

Rated 3.8/5 in difficulty (challenging).

Appears in 3+ common words including 扬子鼍 (yáng zi tuó), 鼍鼓 (tuó gǔ), 鼍皮 (tuó pí).

Due to its 20 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 鼍 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 鼍 - tuó

Practice Writing 鼍 (tuó)

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How to Write 鼍

The character 鼍 (tuó) is written with 20 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 黾 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does tuó (鼍) Mean in Chinese?

鼍 means Chinese alligator.

Character Data

Character鼍
Pinyintuó (tuo)
MeaningChinese alligator
Strokes20
Radical黾
Difficulty3.8/5

Origin of 鼍

鼍 is a compound character; the lower part 黾 depicts a reptile (originally a frog or toad), indicating the animal class. The upper part combines 田 (field), a horizontal line, and 口 (mouth), which together evoke the broad, flat head and snout of a Chinese alligator.

💡 Memory Tip: Imagine a reptile (黾) with a square field (田) on top, and a big mouth (口) sticking out – that's the Chinese alligator lurking by the water.

Common Words with 鼍

扬子鼍 yáng zi tuó
Yangtze alligator
鼍鼓 tuó gǔ
alligator-skin drum
鼍皮 tuó pí
alligator skin

Example Sentences

这是扬子鼍。

zhè shì yáng zi tuó

This is a Yangtze alligator.

他在敲鼍鼓。

tā zài qiāo tuó gǔ

He is beating an alligator-skin drum.

这是一个鼍皮包。

zhè shì yí gè tuó pí bāo

This is an alligator skin bag.

Stroke order practice for 鼍 - tuó

Practice Writing 鼍 (tuó)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 鼍 with real-time feedback.

✨ Animated stroke order · Handwriting recognition · HSK-graded practice · Free to use

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Frequently Asked Questions about 鼍

The character 鼍 consists of the radical 黾, which represents a reptile or frog, and the phonetic component 单 (dān). The radical 黾 links the character to reptiles, specifically the Chinese alligator, while 单 hints at the pronunciation "tuó."

Characters with Radical 黾

黾mǐn鼋yuán

Other 20-Stroke Characters

䕭qián嚷rāng/rǎng嚼jiáo/jiào/jué壤rǎng孀shuāng巍wēi彟yuē攘rǎng曦xī瀵fèn