The character 得 — “get”: how to write it and what it means
get, obtain
The Chinese character 得 is read dé and means “get, obtain”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 得
得 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 得, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 得 is made of
In 觉得 it is read with the neutral tone: de.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 得
- 觉得think, feelHSK 1
- 记得rememberHSK 2
- 认得recognize, know (by sight)HSK 3
- 懂得understand, know howHSK 3
- 得分score points; scoreHSK 3
- 得到get, obtainHSK 3
- 得意pleased with oneselfHSK 4
- 值得be worth it, deserveHSK 4
- 获得obtain, gainHSK 4
- 取得achieve, obtainHSK 4
- 赢得win, gainHSK 4
- 不得不have to, be forced toHSK 4
- 来得及have enough timeHSK 4
- 舍得not begrudgeHSK 5
- 显得look, appearHSK 5
- 难得rare, hard to come byHSK 5
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 得?
得 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 得 mean?
得 means “get, obtain”. It appears in 觉得 (“think”), 记得 (“remember”), 认得 (“recognize”), 懂得 (“understand”).
How do you pronounce 得?
得 is read dé. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 得 have?
11 strokes.
← 菜 vegetables苹 part of “apple” →
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 得 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