涂

Tap the pinyin to hear it

to apply (paint etc); to smear; to daub; to blot out; to scribble; to scrawl; (literary) mud; street

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

氵 meaning “water” + 余 sound ( yú )

Components 氵余

smear · Heisig RSH #2648

水 water + scale

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
涂尔干	Tú ěr gàn	Durkheim (1858-1917), French sociologist
放着明白装糊涂	fàng zhe míng bai zhuāng hú tu	to pretend not to know (idiom)
当涂县	Dāng tú Xiàn	Dangtu, a county in Ma'anshan City 馬鞍山市\|马鞍山市[Ma3 an1 shan1 Shi4], Anhui
一败涂地	yī bài tú dì	lit. defeated, the ground blanketed with bodies (idiom); fig. to suffer a crushing defeat
巴氏涂片	Bā shì tú piàn	Pap smear; Pap test
涂白剂	tú bái jì	a white paint applied to tree trunks to protect the trees from insect damage etc
聪明一世，糊涂一时	cōng ming yī shì , hú tu yī shí	(idiom) even the wisest can have a momentary lapse in judgment; every man has a fool in hi…
弹涂鱼	tán tú yú	mudskipper (amphibious fish)
涂油于	tú yóu yú	anoint
涂山	Tú shān	Mt Tu in Zhejiang
涂家	tú jiā	painter; artist
海涂	hǎi tú	tidal marsh; shoal; shallows
涂油	tú yóu	to grease; to oil; to baste (cookery)
当涂	Dāng tú	see 當涂縣\|当涂县[Dang1 tu2 Xian4]
涂片	tú piàn	smear (medical sample); microscope slide
涂装	tú zhuāng	painted ornament; livery (on airline or company vehicle)
肝脑涂地	gān nǎo tú dì	to offer one's life in sacrifice
涂层	tú céng	protective layer; coating
涂料	tú liào	paint
乌涂	wū tu	unclear; not straightforward; (of drinking water) lukewarm; tepid

Characters sharing the sound component 余 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
余 sound part	yú	surplus, remainder; surname
途	tú	way, road, path, journey, course
斜	xié	slanting, sloping, inclined
徐	xú	slowly, quietly, calmly; dignified, composed
叙	xù	to express, to state; to relate, to narrate
荼	tú	a bitter vegetable
嵞	tú	a mountain in Zhejiang
狳	yú	armadillo
蜍	chú	toad (2)
酴	tú	yeast; wine; to leaven, to ferment