妥 (tuǒ): appropriate

Meanings

1 appropriate
2 proper
3 settled

Characters

妥

tuǒ

appropriate; settled; proper

Examples

这件事已经办妥了。

Zhè jiàn shì yǐjīng bàn tuǒ le.

This matter has been properly taken care of.

你觉得这样做妥不妥？

Nǐ juéde zhèyàng zuò tuǒ bùtuǒ?

Do you think it's appropriate to do it this way?

Tips

usage

妥 is often used as a complement after verbs: 办妥 (handle properly), 安排妥 (arrange properly). It confirms something is settled and done right.

Components

radical

女 nǚ

woman

Bottom radical 女 (woman) anchors the indexing key. The compound ideograph 'reaching hand + woman' depicts a settling, calming gesture — perhaps soothing a crying child, or formally pacifying a household after conflict. The same 'soothe, settle' image gives 妥 its core meaning: properly arranged, appropriate, beyond dispute (妥协 'compromise', 妥当 'appropriate').

semantic

爫 zhǎo

claw; hand from above

Top 爫 is the 'claw / downward hand' radical — a hand reaching down from above. In 妥 it pictures a hand placed gently on a woman's head, the gesture of soothing or settling someone. The compound reads as a calming touch — by extension 'appropriate, settled, secure'. Same 爫 reaching-hand appears in 受 (receive), 爱 (love), 采 (pluck).