多 (duō) means "many, much" with 6 strokes, radical 夕 (evening), HSK 1 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: many
Other meanings:
- much
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
The oracle-bone form stacks two 夕 (evening) elements, though scholars debate whether the component is actually 肉 (meat) with the shape later merging into 夕. The most common reading is 'piles of meat' or 'night after night', both conveying accumulation. Either way, the doubling itself carries the meaning of plenty.
Form evolution
Bronze and seal scripts continued the clean vertical stacking of two identical elements. Clerical script straightened the curves into the familiar angular strokes. Modern 楷 preserves the stacked structure, though the top and bottom components are now clearly identical in a way the oracle forms were not.
How the meaning evolved
The core meaning of 'many' or 'much' has been stable since the earliest inscriptions. Classical texts extended it to 'often', 'excessive', and as an adverb of degree meaning 'how' in exclamations (多好!). Modern Mandarin keeps all of these, plus the comparative use in 大多 and 多少.
Cultural note
多 appears in 多少, which can mean both 'how much' (question) and 'somewhat' (statement) depending on tone and context. The idiom 多此一举 (one extra move too many) captures the classical sense of 多 as 'excess beyond what is needed'.
Mnemonic
Two evenings stacked — many
Decomposition
Basic info
| Pinyin | duō |
| Meanings | many, much |
| Stroke count | 6 strokes |
| Radical | 夕 (#36: evening) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1, write by hand at HSK 1-2 |
| Frequency | #28 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 多
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 多 | duō | many, much | HSK 1 |
| 多少 | duōshǎo | how much | HSK 1 |
| 多么 | duōme | how | HSK 4 |
| 差不多 | chàbuduō | Almost | HSK 3 |
| 许多 | xǔduō | many | HSK 4 |
| 多亏 | duōkuī | thanks to | HSK 6 |
| 多余 | duōyú | surplus | HSK 6 |
| 不可多得 | bùkěduōdé | hard to come by, rare | |
| 多半 | duōbàn | most likely, the greater part | HSK 7-9 |
| 多变 | duōbiàn | changeable, fickle | |
| 多才多艺 | duōcáiduōyì | versatile, talented | HSK 6 |
| 多次 | duōcì | many times, repeatedly | |
| 多多少少 | duōduōshǎoshǎo | more or less | |
| 多方 | duōfāng | in many ways, multiparty |
Related characters
Similar meaning (abstract)
On the new HSK 1 exam
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Frequently Asked Questions
Appears in these articles
Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.