叹 meaning and stroke order
To sigh, to admire
How to write 叹, stroke by stroke
5 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 叹
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to sigh
- to exclaim
- variant of 嘆|叹[tan4]
How 叹 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A mouth 口 exhaling 又.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 叹
A mouth 口 on the left lets out a breath again and again 又 (yòu, again) on the right. Picture someone sighing over and over, or saying "wow" again in admiration.
叹 (tàn) rarely stands alone in speech. It mostly appears in words like 叹气 (tànqì, to sigh) and 感叹 (gǎntàn, to lament), or 惊叹 (jīngtàn) and 赞叹 (zàntàn) for admiration. Example: 他听完消息，叹了一口气。(Tā tīng wán xiāoxi, tàn le yì kǒu qì.) After hearing the news, he let out a sigh.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 叹 (tàn) with 汉 (hàn, Chinese). Both have 又 on the right, but 叹 has a mouth 口 and 汉 has the water radical 氵. Also keep the fourth tone: tàn, not tān.
Common words with 叹
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 叹气 | tànqì | to sigh; to heave a sigh | HSK 6 |
| 惊叹 | jīngtàn | to exclaim in admiration; a gasp of surprise | HSK 7-9 |
| 感叹 | gǎntàn | to sigh (with feeling); to lament | HSK 7-9 |
| 赞叹 | zàntàn | to exclaim in admiration | HSK 7-9 |
| 赞叹不已 | zàntàn-bùyǐ | (idiom) to be full of praise and admiration; to marvel endlessly; to be in awe | HSK 7-9 |
| 叹息 | tànxī | to sigh; to gasp (in admiration) | |
| 叹为观止 | tànwéiguānzhǐ | (idiom) to gasp in amazement; to acclaim as the peak of perfection | |
| 咏叹调 | yǒngtàndiào | aria |
叹 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 叹
How many strokes are in 叹?
叹 is written with 5 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 叹 mean?
叹 (tàn) means to sigh, to admire. A common word with it is 叹气 (tànqì), meaning "to sigh; to heave a sigh".
How do you pronounce 叹?
叹 is pronounced tàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 叹?
The radical of 叹 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 叹 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 叹?
The traditional form of 叹 is 嘆 and 歎. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 叹 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 叹 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 叹 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Does 叹 mean a sad sigh or an admiring sigh?
It can mean either, and the word around it tells you which. 叹气 and 叹息 usually suggest sadness or worry. 惊叹, 赞叹 and 叹为观止 express amazement or praise.
How do I say "to sigh" in everyday speech?
Use 叹气 (tànqì). You can split it as 叹了一口气 (tàn le yì kǒu qì), "let out a sigh," which sounds very natural. 叹息 (tànxī) means the same but is more literary.