Hanzi Writer

How to Write 柝 (tuò) — Meaning “watchman's clapper”

tuò 9 strokes Radical: 木

柝 (tuò) means "watchman's clapper" in Chinese. It has 9 strokes with the radical 木.

Rated 4/5 in difficulty (challenging).

Appears in 3+ common words including 击柝 (jī tuò), 柝声 (tuò shēng), 木柝 (mù tuò).

Due to its 9 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 柝 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 柝 - tuò

Practice Writing 柝 (tuò)

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How to Write 柝

The character 柝 (tuò) is written with 9 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 木 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 tuò (柝) Mean in Chinese?

柝 means watchman's clapper.

Character Data

Character柝
Pinyintuò (tuo)
Meaningwatchman's clapper
Strokes9
Radical木
Difficulty4/5

Origin of 柝

柝 is a compound character combining the radical 木 (wood) with 斥 (chì, 'to scold') as a phonetic component. Ancient watchmen used a hollow wooden clapper that made a sharp, scolding sound to announce the hour or raise alarms, linking the wood material to the instrument's function.

💡 Memory Tip: Imagine a wooden (木) clapper that a watchman uses to loudly 'scold' (斥) the night for being too quiet.

Common Words with 柝

击柝 jī tuò
to beat a night watchman's clapper
柝声 tuò shēng
sound of a watchman's clapper
木柝 mù tuò
wooden clapper

Example Sentences

巡夜人正在击柝。

xún yè rén zhèng zài jī tuò

The night watchman is striking the wooden clapper.

远处传来柝声。

yuǎn chù chuán lái tuò shēng

The sound of a watchman's clapper came from the distance.

他手里拿着木柝。

tā shǒu lǐ ná zhe mù tuò

He is holding a wooden clapper in his hand.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
柝 (current) tuò 9 木
杆 gān / gǎn 7 木
杈 chā / chà 7 木
杉 shān 7 木
Stroke order practice for 柝 - tuò

Practice Writing 柝 (tuò)

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

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Frequently Asked Questions about 柝

The left component is 木 (wood), showing that the character refers to a wooden object. The right component is 斥 (to reject or scold), which hints at the action of beating or driving away — together they form the watchman's clapper.

Characters with Radical 木

木mù未wèi末mò本běn札zhá术shù朱zhū朴pō/pǔ朵duǒ机jī

Other 9-Stroke Characters

㒸suì㲋chuò㿽xī临lín举jǔ乹gān/qián亭tíng亮liàng亲qīn/qìng侮wǔ