The character 大 — “big”: how to write it and what it means
big
The Chinese character 大 is read dà and means “big”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 大
大 has 3 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 大, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 大 is made of
A person with arms spread wide.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 大
- 大家everyoneHSK 1
- 大学universityHSK 1
- 大学生university studentHSK 1
- 大人adultHSK 3
- 大衣coatHSK 3
- 大小sizeHSK 3
- 大概roughly; probablyHSK 3
- 大熊猫giant pandaHSK 3
- 大巴bus, coachHSK 4
- 大量large amountHSK 4
- 大约about, approximatelyHSK 4
- 大夫doctor (colloq.)HSK 4
- 大厅hall, lobbyHSK 4
- 大赛major tournament, contestHSK 4
- 大大greatlyHSK 4
- 大自然natureHSK 4
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 大?
大 has 3 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 大 mean?
大 means “big”. It appears in 大家 (“everyone”), 大学 (“university”), 大学生 (“university student”), 大人 (“adult”).
How do you pronounce 大?
大 is read dà. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 大 have?
3 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 大 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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