調 (diào)

tune; tone; melody

How 調 is written

Strokes
15
Radical
— speech
Traditional
調
Simplified

調 has 2 readings

The pronunciation changes with the meaning, so the reading has to be learned per word.

diào
to transfer; to move (troops or cadres); to investigate; to enquire into
tiáo
to harmonize; to reconcile; to blend; to suit well

Common words using 調

低調 dīdiào
low pitch; quiet (voice); subdued
強調 qiángdiào
to emphasize (a statement); to stress
情調 qíngdiào
sentiment; tone and mood; taste
空調 kōngtiáo
air conditioning
藍調 lándiào
blues (music)
調味 tiáowèi
seasoning; condiment; flavoring
調戲 tiáoxì
to take liberties with a woman; to dally; to assail a woman with obscenities
調整 tiáozhěng
to adjust; adjustment; revision
調料 tiáoliào
condiment; seasoning; flavoring
調查 diàochá
investigation; inquiry; to investigate
調皮 tiáopí
naughty; mischievous; unruly
調節 tiáojié
to adjust; to regulate; to harmonize

調 in a sentence

這首歌的曲調很奇怪。

Zhè shǒu gē de qǔdiào hěn qíguài.

“The melody of this song is very strange.”

How common is 調?

調 is the 400th most frequent character in written Chinese. Characters up to this rank account for about 71% of all running text.

Characters that appear with 調

Master 調 and 5,000 others.

Flashcards and Writing Practice. Every single character in A Course in Contemporary Chinese 當代中文課程.

調
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