窦 (Dòu): surname Dou, (literary) hole, aperture

窦 (Dòu) is a Chinese character meaning “surname dou.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), with radical 穴 (cave). It ranks #3511 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).

Native pronunciation

HSK 7-9 Radical: 穴 cave9 strokesFrequency #3511

Definitions

surname Dou
(literary) hole
aperture

Stroke Order

Practice writing 窦 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.

Words & Compounds

Common Compounds

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
鼻窦炎	bí dòu yán	sinusitis
鼻窦	bí dòu	paranasal sinus
情窦初开	qíng dòu chū kāi	first awakening of love (usually of a girl) (idiom)
利马窦	lì mǎ dòu	Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), Jesuit missionary and translator in Ming China
狗窦大开	gǒu dòu dà kāi	dog hole wide open (idiom)
窦道	dòu dào	sinus (anatomy)
情窦	qíng dòu	(lit.) love aperture
闭门塞窦	bì mén sè dòu	to close doors and block openings (idiom)
疑窦	yí dòu	(literary) doubts
鼻旁窦	bí páng dòu	paranasal sinus
乳突窦	rǔ tū dòu	mastoid antrum (bones at the back of tympanic chamber)
额窦	é dòu	frontal sinus
狗窦	gǒu dòu	dog hole
荜门圭窦	bì mén guī dòu	wicker door, hole window (idiom)
玛窦福音	mǎ dòu fú yīn	Gospel according to St Matthew

Total compounds

As first character

As last character

As middle character

窦 appears in 22 compound words: 14 as the first character, 64 as the last, and 23 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.

Idioms & Chengyu (4)

闭门塞窦bì mén sè dòuHSK 6+

to close doors and block openings (idiom); mounting a strict defense

phrase

狗窦大开gǒu dòu dà kāiHSK 1+

dog hole wide open (idiom); fig. gap caused by missing teeth (used mockingly)

phrase

情窦初开qíng dòu chū kāiHSK 3+

first awakening of love (usually of a girl) (idiom)

phrase

筚门闺窦bìménguīdòuHSK 7+

wretched hovel; living in poverty; poverty-stricken

phrase

Example Sentences

AI-Generated

窦字虽然难写，但意思很有趣。

Dòu zì suī rán nán xiě , dàn yì sī hěn yǒu qù .

Although the character "Dòu" is difficult to write, its meaning is quite interesting.

StheadlineMar 2026

...曼凭《正义女神》再掀视后热感性追忆“老窦”许绍雄:还在的一个感觉

. . . màn píng zhèng yì nǚ shén zài xiān shì hòu rè gǎn xìng zhuī yì lǎo Dòu xǔ shào xióng : hái zài de yī gè gǎn jué

StheadlineMar 2026

...hemis》泪崩:我是抽离不到忆述“老窦”罕见一面

. . . h e m i s lèi bēng : wǒ shì chōu lí bù dào yì shù lǎo Dòu hǎn jiàn yī miàn

Character Family

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 窦 (Dòu) mean in Chinese?

窦 (Dòu) primarily means "surname dou." It is classified as HSK Level 7-9, making it an expert-level character. It ranks #3511 in character frequency.

How many strokes does 窦 have?

窦 is written with 9 strokes. The correct stroke order matters for recognition and handwriting speed — practice with the animated guide above to build proper technique.

What is the radical of 窦?

The radical associated with 窦 is 穴 (cave). This radical appears in many characters related to cave.

What are common words containing 窦?

Common words with 窦 include: 鼻窦炎 (bí dòu yán, "sinusitis"); 鼻窦 (bí dòu, "paranasal sinus"); 情窦初开 (qíng dòu chū kāi, "first awakening of love (usually of a girl) (idiom)"); 利马窦 (lì mǎ dòu, "Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), Jesuit missionary and translator in Ming China"); 狗窦大开 (gǒu dòu dà kāi, "dog hole wide open (idiom)"). There are over 22 compound words containing this character.

Is 窦 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?

No. The simplified form is 窦 and the traditional form is 竇.

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