盗 dào — steal; rob; plunder; a thief; bandit; robber
警察抓住了那个盗窃的小偷。Jǐng chá zhuā zhù le nà ge dào qiè de xiǎo tōu.The police caught the thief who was stealing.
Common words: 盗窃 (dào qiè)、强盗 (qiáng dào)、盗版 (dào bǎn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "steal"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "steal", including 盗 (dào), 窃 (qiè). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "steal" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 盗 (dào), 窃 (qiè) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span dào, qiè — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 盗 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 盗 dàosteal; rob; plunder; a thief; bandit; robberUseful words: 盗窃, 强盗
- 窃 qièI beg to presume; stealUseful words: 盗窃, 窃取
Common words for these 2 "steal" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 盗 (dào) — so "steal" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "steal".
窃 qiè — I beg to presume; steal
偷窃别人的东西是可耻的行为。Tōu qiè bié ren de dōng xi shì kě chǐ de xíng wéi.Stealing other people things is shameful behavior.
Common words: 盗窃 (dào qiè)、窃取 (qiè qǔ)、行窃 (xíng qiè)
All 2 characters
Open 盗、窃 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.