The character 暗 — “dark”: how to write it and what it means
dark, dim
The Chinese character 暗 is read àn and means “dark, dim”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 暗
暗 has 13 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 暗, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 暗 is made of
On the left, 日 “sun”. The opposite of 明 “bright”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 暗
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 暗?
暗 has 13 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 暗 mean?
暗 means “dark, dim”. It appears in 黑暗 (“dark”), 暗示 (“hint”).
How do you pronounce 暗?
暗 is read àn. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 暗 have?
13 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 暗 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free