逗

dòu
HSK 5
#2,582 most
frequent character
to stay, to stop, to pause (while reading)
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

逗 has 辶 walking as the meaning part and 豆 dòu as the sound part. It first meant to stop and remain in a place. From there came to stop and the comma mark. The sense to tease or amuse was borrowed for sound alone.

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Example Sentences

我喜欢逗我的狗。
wǒ xǐhuān dòu wǒde gǒu 。
I like to tease my dog.
在读书的时候，他会逗留几分钟。
zài dúshū de shíhòu ， tā huì dòuliú jī fēnzhōng 。
While reading, he will pause for a few minutes.
她总是逗我开心。
tā zǒngshì dòu wǒ kāixīn 。
She always teases me to make me happy.

Words with similar meanings

玩弄wánnòng
to play with
This term is more informal and playful, often implying a sense of fun.
取笑qǔxiào
to mock
This implies a more teasing or joking context that can also have an element of humor.

Homophones

豆dòu
legume, pulse, bean
斗dòu
to fight, to struggle, to condemn
读dòu
comma, phrase marked by pause

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Public Lists with 逗

Basic Verbs
Core action verbs like 'go,' 'come,' 'eat,' 'see,' commonly encountered in HSK.
HSK 5
All words for the HSK 5 test
Feelings & Emotions
Vocabulary for happiness, sadness, anger, fear, love, excitement, etc.
Common Communication Phrases
Polite expressions, apologies, congratulatory phrases, and casual chat.
Advanced HSK5 Terms
Vocabulary commonly seen in HSK5 practice, bridging mid-high level usage.