独 dú — alone; only · English

独

dú

alone; only

At a glance · 独

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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.

繁体「獨」从犬，蜀声，本义为单独、孤独。简体「独」同。形声清晰。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为单一、单独。

Structure

形声字，从犬（意符），蜀（shǔ）为声符。

At a glance

Pinyindú

Radical犭

Strokes9

UnicodeU+72EC

Character type形声

Theme状态

Six languages, one character

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

English alone; only Alone, single, or only.

Français seul; unique Seul, unique ou seulement.

Español solo; único Solo, único o solamente.

العربية وحده؛ فقط وحده أو وحيد أو فقط.

Русский один; только Один, единственный или только.

Common words

独立dú lìindependent
独dúalone

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