到

dào
HSK 2
#22 most
frequent character
to (a place), until (a time)
verb
preposition

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

到 puts 至, an arrow hitting its mark, with 刂 dāo, which supplies the sound. The arrow picture ties to the first sense, 'to send'. Later the meaning grew to 'to deliver' and then 'to arrive'.

Drawn as: arrow striking target

到 as a component in other characters

sound1 character
倒

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Example Sentences

我今天要到学校。
wǒ jīntiān yàodào xuéxiào 。
I want to go to school today.
请等到五点再来。
qǐng děngdào wǔ diǎn zàilái 。
Please wait until five o'clock to come back.
我们终于到家了。
wǒmen zhōngyú dàojiā le 。
We finally arrived home.

Words with similar meanings

去qù
to go
A more general term for traveling to a location, often used in more casual contexts.
抵达dǐdá
to arrive
More formal than '到', specifically emphasizes reaching a destination.

Words Starting With 到

到处dào chù
in all places; everywhere
到底dào dǐ
finally; in the end; when all is said and done; after all; to the end; to the last
到达dào dá
to reach; to arrive

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