到处
everywhere; all over
HSK level
- Pinyin
- dàochù
- Part of speech
- adverb
- Level
- HSK 4
- Strokes
- 13
- Register
- neutral
Stroke order for 到处
到处 is written with 13 strokes (到: 8, 处: 5). The animation replays automatically.
What does 到处 mean?
到处 (dàochù) is an adverb meaning 'everywhere,' 'all over,' or 'in all places.'
It describes an action happening across many locations: 到处都是人 ('there are people everywhere'), 我到处找你 ('I looked for you everywhere'). Grammatically it sits before the verb, and it very often pairs with 都 (dōu, 'all') for emphasis — 到处都... — which English speakers frequently drop by mistake.
Unlike English 'everywhere,' which can be a subject or object, 到处 is adverbial: you don't say 'everywhere is beautiful' word-for-word; you say 到处都很美 ('all over here is beautiful'). It is neutral in register and common in everyday speech. It carries a slight sense of scattered, wide-ranging coverage — searching, spreading, or appearing in many spots — rather than a single fixed 'all' location.
Character by character
Memory hook: 到 (reach) + 处 (place) → reaching every place = everywhere.
Example sentences
春天到了，到处都是花。
Chūntiān dào le, dàochù dōu shì huā.
Spring is here, and there are flowers everywhere.
neutral
我到处找我的手机。
Wǒ dàochù zhǎo wǒ de shǒujī.
I looked everywhere for my phone.
spoken
周末我喜欢到处走走。
Zhōumò wǒ xǐhuan dàochù zǒuzou.
On weekends I like to wander around.
spoken
这种情况到处都有。
Zhè zhǒng qíngkuàng dàochù dōu yǒu.
This kind of situation happens everywhere.
written
Common phrases with 到处
Synonyms
处处 also means 'everywhere / in every respect' but is more formal and often abstract (处处小心, 'be careful in every way'). 到处 is more concrete and spoken, about physical locations.
四处 means 'in all directions / all around' and is slightly more literary. 到处 is the everyday, high-frequency word; 四处 sounds a touch more written.
Don't confuse 到处 with
FAQ
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