Dictionary › 调

调

tiáo

HSK 3 Character Traditional 調

What 调 means

1. to harmonize
2. to reconcile
3. to blend
4. to suit well
5. to adjust
6. to regulate
7. to season (food)
8. to provoke
9. to incite

Other readings

调 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• diàoto transfer; to move (troops or cadres); to investigate

Example sentences

• 众口难调。
  It is difficult to satisfy everyone.
• 空调坏了。
  The air conditioner has got out of order.
• 我不调皮。
  I am not mischievous.
• 我不喜欢空调
  I don't like air conditioning.
• 空调故障了。
  The air conditioner doesn't work.
• 调查下这个。
  Examine this.

Words starting with 调

• 调查diào cháinvestigation; inquiry; to investigate
• 调整tiáo zhěngto adjust; to revise; to reorganize
• 调皮tiáo pínaughty; mischievous; unruly
• 调节tiáo jiéto adjust; to regulate; to harmonize
• 调动diào dòngto transfer; to maneuver (troops etc); movement of personnel
• 调料tiáo liàocondiment; seasoning; flavoring
• 调解tiáo jiěto mediate; to bring parties to an agreement
• 调和tiáo héharmonious; to mediate; to reconcile; mediation
• 调剂tiáo jìto adjust; to redistribute (resources etc); (fig.) (of an activity) to provide variety in…
• 调控tiáo kòngto regulate; to control
• 调研diào yánto investigate and research; research; investigation
• 调侃tiáo kǎnto ridicule; to tease; to mock
• 调试tiáo shìto debug; to adjust components during testing; debugging
• 调度diào dùto dispatch (vehicles, staff etc); to schedule; to manage
• 调用diào yòngto transfer (for a specific purpose); to allocate; (computing) to invoke…
• 调子diào zitune; melody; tuning
• 调味tiáo wèiseasoning; condiment; flavoring
• 调配diào pèito allocate; to deploy
• 调换diào huànto exchange; to change places; to swap
• 调理tiáo lǐto nurse one's health; to recuperate; to take care of
• 调情tiáo qíngto flirt
• 调戏tiáo xìto take liberties with a woman; to dally; to assail a woman with obscenities
• 调入diào rùto bring in; to call in; to transfer (a person, data)
• 调教tiáo jiàoto instruct; to teach; to train

Words containing 调

• 空调kōng tiáoair conditioning; air conditioner (including units that have a heating mode)
• 强调qiáng diàoto emphasize (a statement); to stress
• 协调xié tiáoto coordinate; to harmonize; to fit together
• 单调dān diàomonotonous
• 声调shēng diàotone; note; a tone (on a Chinese syllable)
• 语调yǔ diàointonation; tone of voice
• 情调qíng diàoambience; mood; flavor
• 低调dī diàolow pitch; quiet (voice); subdued
• 色调sè diàohue; tone
• 格调gé diàostyle (of art or literature); form; one's work style
• 烹调pēng tiáoto cook
• 腔调qiāng diàoa tune; a melody; accent (distinctive way of pronouncing a language)
• 曲调qǔ diàotune; melody
• 上调shàng tiáoto raise (prices); to adjust upwards
• 小调xiǎo diàoxiaodiao, a Chinese folk song genre; (music) minor key
• 下调xià tiáoto adjust downwards; to lower (prices, wages etc)
• 失调shī tiáoimbalance; to become dysfunctional; to lack proper care (after an illness etc)
• 音调yīn diàopitch of voice (high or low); pitch (of a musical note); tone
• 基调jī diàomain key (of a musical composition); keynote (speech)
• 抽调chōu diàoto transfer (personnel or material)
• 高调gāo diàohigh-sounding speech; bombast; high-profile
• 论调lùn diàoargument; view (sometimes derogatory)
• 联邦调查局Lián bāng Diào chá júFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• 空调车kōng tiáo chēair conditioned vehicle

Characters built on 周

These share the phonetic component 周 (zhōu), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 雕diāoto carve; to engrave; shrewd
• 凋diāowithered
• 碉diāorock cave (archaic)
• 鲷diāoporgy; pagrus major
• 蜩tiáocicada

Characters that look like 调

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 课kèsubject; course; class
• 谓wèito speak; to say; to name
• 诱yòu(literary) to induce; to entice
• 谍diéto spy
• 诵sòngto read aloud; to recite
• 诬wūto accuse falsely

Sounds the same

Read tiáo, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 条strip; item; article
• 迢remote
• 笤broom
• 苕reed grass; Chinese trumpet vine (Campsis grandiflora) (old)
• 鲦Korean sharpbelly (fish, Hemiculter leucisculus); chub
• 髫(literary) hair hanging down in front (children's hairstyle)
• 岧lofty peak
• 趒to jump; to climb over; to leap
• 鞗reins of leather
• 龆shed the milk teeth; young
• 蜩cicada
• 䩦variant of 鞗