The character 等 — “wait”: how to write it and what it means
wait
The Chinese character 等 is read děng and means “wait”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 等
等 has 12 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 等, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 等 is made of
On top, 竹 “bamboo”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 等
- 等到by the time, whenHSK 4
- 等候wait (one's turn)HSK 5
- 等待wait (lit.)HSK 5
- 等于equalHSK 5
- 等级grade, rank, classHSK 6
- 中等medium, average (level)HSK 6
- 相等be equal, equalHSK 6
- 初等elementary, basicHSK 6
- 高等higher (of education)HSK 6
- 平等equalHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 等?
等 has 12 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 等 mean?
等 means “wait”. It appears in 等到 (“by the time”), 等候 (“wait”), 等待 (“wait”), 等于 (“equal”).
How do you pronounce 等?
等 is read děng. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 等 have?
12 strokes.
← 着 particle: ongoing state教 teach →
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 等 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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