道 dào — direction; way; method; road; path; principle
这条道路通向公园。Zhè tiáo dào lù tōng xiàng gōng yuán.This road leads to the park.
Common words: 知道 (zhī dào)、味道 (wèi dao)、道路 (dào lù)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "way"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "way", including 道 (dào), 法 (fǎ), 样 (yàng), 路 (lù), 般 (bān), 途 (tú). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "way" covers 6 different Chinese characters — 道 (dào), 法 (fǎ), 样 (yàng), 路 (lù), 般 (bān), 途 (tú) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 6 characters do not share a sound — their readings span dào, fǎ, yàng, lù, bān, tú — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 道 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 道 dàodirection; way; method; road; path; principleUseful words: 知道, 味道
- 法 fǎlaw; method; way; Buddhist teaching; Legalist; France (abbrev.)Useful words: 办法, 方法
- 样 yàngmanner; pattern; way; appearance; shapeUseful words: 一样, 怎么样
- 路 lù(surname); road; path; wayUseful words: 路上, 走路
- 般 bānsort; kind; class; way; mannerUseful words: 一般, 一般来说
Common words for these 6 "way" characters
Anchor each of these 6 characters in a word you can picture — start with 道 (dào) — so "way" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
知道zhī dàoto know; to become aware of味道wèi daoflavor; taste; (fig.) feeling (of ...); sense (of ...)道路dào lùroad; path; way办法bàn fǎway of handling sth; means; measure; (practical) solution to a problem方法fāng fǎmethod; way; technique; procedure想法xiǎng fǎway of thinking; opinion; notion; to think of a way (to do sth)一样yī yàngsame; like; equal to; the same as怎么样zěn me yànghow?; how about?; how was it?; how are things?这样zhè yàngthis way; like this; so; (before a noun) this kind of路上lù shangon the road; on the way; en route
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 6 ways to say "way".
法 fǎ — law; method; way; Buddhist teaching; Legalist; France (abbrev.)
这个办法很好。Zhè ge bàn fǎ hěn hǎo.This method is very good.
Common words: 办法 (bàn fǎ)、方法 (fāng fǎ)、想法 (xiǎng fǎ)
样 yàng — manner; pattern; way; appearance; shape
这两件衣服样子差不多。Zhè liǎng jiàn yī fu yàng zi chà bu duō.These two clothes look about the same.
Common words: 一样 (yī yàng)、怎么样 (zěn me yàng)、这样 (zhè yàng)
路 lù — (surname); road; path; way
过马路要小心。Guò mǎ lù yào xiǎo xīn.Be careful when crossing the road.
Common words: 路上 (lù shang)、走路 (zǒu lù)、马路 (mǎ lù)
般 bān — sort; kind; class; way; manner
时间像流水一般过得飞快。Shí jiān xiàng liú shuǐ yì bān guò de fēi kuài.Time passes as quickly as flowing water.
Common words: 一般 (yī bān)、一般来说 (yī bān lái shuō)、这般 (zhè bān)
途 tú — way; route; road
在旅途中，我们看到了美丽的风景。Zài lǚ tú zhōng, wǒ men kàn dào le měi lì de fēng jǐng.During the journey, we saw beautiful scenery.
Common words: 前途 (qián tú)、途中 (tú zhōng)、用途 (yòng tú)
All 6 characters
Open 道、法、样 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.