对

對
duì
adjective HSK 1 #36

Meanings

  1. 1 right
  2. 2 correct
  3. 3 towards
  4. 4 to treat

Examples

HSK 1
Tā duì wǒ hěn hǎo.
She treats me very well.
HSK 2
Nǐ shuō de duì.
What you said is right.
HSK 3
Duìbuqǐ, wǒ chídào le.
Sorry, I'm late.

Tips

grammar
对 as a preposition means 'towards' or 'regarding': 对我来说 (for me / as far as I am concerned).
usage
Saying 对对对 is a common way to enthusiastically agree with someone in conversation.

Components

radical
寸 cùn
inch; precise hand
Right side - also the indexing radical (Kangxi #41). 寸 depicts a hand 又 with a small marker dot at the wrist showing the pulse-point: the place where one inch is measured. Marks 对 as a precise, deliberate action: matching exactly, answering correctly, facing squarely. Same radical in 寺 (temple), 封 (to seal), 射 (to shoot).
semantic
又 yòu
right hand; again
Left side 又 - pictograph of a right hand with three fingers. Replaced the much fuller 業 phonetic of traditional 對 in the 1956 reform; the modern hand depicts holding or grasping. Same hand also in 友, 受, 取 - characters about handling. Together with the right side it pictures hands offering correctly across to one another.

Stroke Order

对 duì