The character 代 — “replace”: how to write it and what it means
replace; era, generation
The Chinese character 代 is read dài and means “replace; era, generation”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 代
代 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 代, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 代 is made of
On the left, 亻 “person”: one person takes another's place. It hints at the sound of 袋 dài.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 代
- 代替replaceHSK 5
- 代表representative; representHSK 5
- 一代generationHSK 5
- 古代antiquityHSK 5
- 近代modern times (history)HSK 5
- 现代modern times; modernHSK 5
- 时代eraHSK 5
- 年代era; decadeHSK 5
- 现代化modernizationHSK 5
- 后代descendants, future generationsHSK 6
- 当代present age, contemporary eraHSK 6
- 代理act on behalf of; agentHSK 6
- 取代replace, supersedeHSK 6
- 代价price, cost (to pay)HSK 6
- 朝代dynastyHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 代?
代 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 代 mean?
代 means “replace; era, generation”. It appears in 代替 (“replace”), 代表 (“representative”), 一代 (“generation”), 古代 (“antiquity”).
How do you pronounce 代?
代 is read dài. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 代 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 代 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