吨 meaning and stroke order
Ton (loanword); Taiwan pr. [dun4]
How to write 吨, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Meaning of 吨
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- ton (loanword)
- Taiwan pr. [dun4]
How 吨 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mouth.
口 gives the meaning and 屯 hints at the sound.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 吨
吨 is built from 口 (mouth) plus 屯 (tún), which gives the sound. Many loanwords that imitate a foreign sound take 口, so picture a mouth saying the English word "ton" while 屯 helps you hear dūn.
吨 is the standard unit word for a metric ton (1,000 kg) in news, trade, shipping and science. It works like a measure word directly after a number. Example: 这辆卡车能装十吨货。(Zhè liàng kǎchē néng zhuāng shí dūn huò.) This truck can carry ten tons of goods.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 吨 with 顿 (dùn), the measure word for meals as in 一顿饭. Both share 屯, but 吨 has 口 on the left and is first tone, while 顿 has 页 on the right and is fourth tone.
吨 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 吨
How many strokes are in 吨?
吨 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 吨 mean?
吨 (dūn) means ton (loanword); Taiwan pr. [dun4].
How do you pronounce 吨?
吨 is pronounced dūn, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 吨?
The radical of 吨 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 吨 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 吨?
The traditional form of 吨 is 噸. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 吨 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 吨 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 吨 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Does 吨 mean a metric ton or a US ton?
In mainland Chinese usage 吨 normally means the metric ton of 1,000 kilograms, also called 公吨 (gōngdūn). If a text needs the other kinds, it says 英吨 (yīngdūn, long ton) or 美吨 (měidūn, short ton).
How is 吨 used in words like 吨位?
吨位 (dūnwèi) means tonnage, such as the capacity of a ship or truck. You also see 万吨 (wàn dūn, ten thousand tons) in reports about cargo ships and production figures.