The character 弹 — “play”: how to write it and what it means
play (piano, guitar)
The Chinese character 弹 is read tán and means “play (piano, guitar)”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 弹
弹 has 11 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 弹, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 弹 is made of
On the left, 弓 “bow”; on the right, 单 dān hints at the sound. Second reading: dàn, “bullet”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 弹
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 弹?
弹 has 11 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 弹 mean?
弹 means “play (piano, guitar)”. It appears in 弹性 (“elasticity”).
How do you pronounce 弹?
弹 is read tán. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 弹 have?
11 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 弹 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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