How to Write 兆 (zhào) — Meaning “omen; million; mega-”

Picture a person (儿) with a long, curved stick (the final stroke) pointing at a crack on the ground — this represents an "omen." Alternatively, think of the top part as the number 1 million (two horizontal lines and a vertical) with a hook below: a million signs of an omen.

A frequent mistake is to write the left side like 儿 (two strokes) instead of using three separate strokes: first a left-falling stroke (丿), then a horizontal (一), then a vertical (丨). After that, write another horizontal (一), a left-falling stroke (ノ), and finally a hook (乚). Keep the final hook curved and not too straight.

允 (yǔn) has 儿 on top and a closed triangle (厶) below, while 元 (yuán) combines 二 on top with 儿 below. In contrast, 兆 has a unique pattern: a left diagonal, horizontal, vertical, horizontal, then a left stroke and a hook. Visually, 兆 looks more like a symbol than a compound of two clear parts.

兆 means "omen" or "sign" in words like 预兆 (yù zhào, omen) and 兆头 (zhào tou, omen). It also represents one million (1,000,000) and is used as the prefix "mega-" in units such as 兆瓦 (zhào wǎ, megawatt). Culturally, 兆 originates from ancient divination cracks on turtle shells, so it carries a sense of prediction.

Common words containing 兆 include: 预兆 (yù zhào) — Omen / Sign / Portent; 兆 (zhào) — omen; million; mega-; 兆头 (zhào tou) — omen; sign.