The character 锻 — “forge”: how to write it and what it means

锻
duàn

forge

14 strokes · HSK 3

The Chinese character 锻 is read duàn and means “forge”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.

Stroke order: how to write 锻

锻 has 14 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 锻, with strokes to trace and empty squares.

What 锻 is made of

On the left, 钅 “metal”; on the right, 段 duàn hints at the sound.

The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.

Words with 锻

Frequently asked questions

How do you write the character 锻?

锻 has 14 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 锻 mean?

锻 means “forge”. It appears in 锻炼 (“work out”).

How do you pronounce 锻?

锻 is read duàn. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.

How many strokes does 锻 have?

14 strokes.

← 羽 feather炼 smelt →

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 锻 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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