The character 电 — “electricity”: how to write it and what it means
electricity
The Chinese character 电 is read diàn and means “electricity”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 电
电 has 5 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 电, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 电 is made of
Originally a picture of lightning.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 电
- 电话phone; callHSK 1
- 电脑computerHSK 1
- 电视TVHSK 1
- 电影movieHSK 1
- 电影院movie theaterHSK 1
- 打电话make a phone callHSK 1
- 电梯elevatorHSK 3
- 电子书e-bookHSK 3
- 电动车e-scooter, electric carHSK 4
- 电视剧TV seriesHSK 4
- 电器electrical applianceHSK 5
- 家电home appliancesHSK 5
- 电商e-commerceHSK 5
- 充电charge (a battery)HSK 5
- 电池batteryHSK 5
- 电动electricHSK 5
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 电?
电 has 5 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 电 mean?
电 means “electricity”. It appears in 电话 (“phone”), 电脑 (“computer”), 电视 (“TV”), 电影 (“movie”).
How do you pronounce 电?
电 is read diàn. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 电 have?
5 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 电 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.
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