读
to read; to study
dú
What does 读 mean?
读 (dú) means 'to read' — both reading text silently and reading aloud — and by extension 'to study (at a school).' Use 读书 (dú shū) to say 'read a book,' but be aware that 读书 also commonly means 'to be a student / be in school,' so 他在北京读书 can mean 'he's studying in Beijing,' not literally 'he reads books in Beijing.' Two contrasts matter: 读 vs 看书 — 读 leans toward reading-as-an-activity, often aloud or studious; 看书 (kàn shū, 'look at a book') is the more casual everyday 'I'm reading.' 读 vs 念 (niàn) — 念 is more strongly 'recite/read aloud,' while 读 covers both silent and aloud. Teachers often instruct 跟我读 ('repeat after me, read aloud').
Character breakdown
to read; to study (simplified form of 讀; 言 'speech' radical + 卖 phonetic)
Memory hook: The 言 (speech) radical on the left reminds you that 读 originally meant reading aloud — words coming out of your mouth.
Example sentences
我喜欢读书。
Wǒ xǐhuān dú shū.
I like to read.
neutral
他在北京读大学。
Tā zài Běijīng dú dàxué.
He's studying at university in Beijing.
neutral
请你读一下。
Qǐng nǐ dú yīxià.
Please read it aloud.
spoken, polite
我每天读中文。
Wǒ měitiān dú Zhōngwén.
I read Chinese every day.
neutral
Common phrases with 读
Synonyms
看 ('look at / read') is the casual everyday verb for reading: 看书, 看报. 读 sounds more active or scholastic — reading aloud, studying, or formally engaging with a text. 'I'm reading right now' is usually 我在看书, not 我在读书.
念 emphasizes reading ALOUD or reciting (and also 'to study' in some regions). A teacher saying 'read it out' = 念一下 / 读一下. Silent reading is 读 or 看, never 念.
学习 is 'to study/learn' in the general sense. 读书 overlaps with 学习 when it means 'being a student,' but 读 specifically involves a text.
Don't confuse 读 with
看 is 'to look / to watch,' the more general visual verb. You 看 a movie or 看 a friend, but you don't 读 either. You can 看书 OR 读书; the second sounds more deliberate.
卖 ('to sell') is the phonetic component inside 读. Beginners sometimes write 读 when they mean 买 (mǎi, 'to buy') or 卖. Watch the 言 radical — only 读 has it.