The character 断 — “break”: how to write it and what it means
break, cut off; judge
The Chinese character 断 is read duàn and means “break, cut off; judge”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 断
断 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 断, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 断 is made of
On the right, 斤 “axe”: to chop through.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 断
- 不断continuouslyHSK 4
- 判断judge, determineHSK 4
- 诊断diagnoseHSK 5
- 打断interruptHSK 5
- 中断interrupt, break offHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 断?
断 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 断 mean?
断 means “break, cut off; judge”. It appears in 不断 (“continuously”), 判断 (“judge”), 诊断 (“diagnose”), 打断 (“interrupt”).
How do you pronounce 断?
断 is read duàn. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 断 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 断 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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