The character 待 — “stay”: how to write it and what it means
stay, spend time
The Chinese character 待 is read dāi and means “stay, spend time”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 待
待 has 9 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 待, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 待 is made of
On the left, 彳 “step”. Second reading: dài, “wait; treat someone”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 待
- 对待treatHSK 5
- 期待look forward toHSK 5
- 等待wait (lit.)HSK 5
- 待遇pay and conditions (of work)HSK 5
- 接待receive (guests)HSK 5
- 招待host (guests), treatHSK 6
- 看待regard, viewHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 待?
待 has 9 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 待 mean?
待 means “stay, spend time”. It appears in 对待 (“treat”), 期待 (“look forward to”), 等待 (“wait”), 待遇 (“pay and conditions”).
How do you pronounce 待?
待 is read dāi. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 待 have?
9 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 待 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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