多 duō — many, much · English

多

duō

many, much

At a glance · 多

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

甲骨文、金文从二「夕」（肉），会意肉重叠加，表示数量多。隶楷作「多」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「多」本指数量大，与「少」相对。

Structure

会意字，从二夕（肉），象重叠众多之形。

At a glance

Pinyinduō

Radical夕

Strokes6

UnicodeU+591A

Character type会意

Theme数术

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English many, much Many, much; a large quantity.

Français beaucoup Beaucoup, une grande quantité.

Español mucho Mucho, una gran cantidad.

العربية كثير كثير أو عديد.

Русский много Много; большое количество.

Common words

多少duō shǎohow many
多duōmany

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