呆 meaning and stroke order
Foolish; stupid; expressionless; blank; variant of 待[dai1]
How to write 呆, 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.
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Meaning of 呆
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- foolish; stupid
- expressionless; blank
- variant of 待[dai1]
- foolish; stupid (variant of 呆[dai1])
- expressionless; blank (variant of 呆[dai1])
How 呆 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. One with wooden 木 speech 口.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 呆
呆 (dāi) is a mouth 口 sitting on top of wood 木. Picture someone whose speech is wooden and stiff, so they look dull and blank.
呆 describes looking blank or slow, as in 发呆 (fādāi, to stare into space) and 目瞪口呆 (mùdèng-kǒudāi, dumbstruck). It is also commonly used to mean "to stay" somewhere, as a variant of 待 (dāi). Example: 我在家呆了一天。(Wǒ zài jiā dāi le yì tiān.) I stayed at home all day.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 呆 with 杏 (xìng, apricot). 呆 has 口 on top and 木 below, while 杏 has 木 on top and 口 below. Also, 呆 is first tone dāi, not dài.
Common words with 呆
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 痴呆 | chīdāi | stupid; dull; (medicine) dementia | HSK 7-9 |
| 目瞪口呆 | mùdèng-kǒudāi | (idiom) dumbstruck; stupefied; stunned | HSK 7-9 |
| 呆子 | dāizi | fool; sucker | |
| 书呆子 | shūdāizi | bookworm; pedant | |
| 帅呆了 | shuàidāile | awesome; brilliant | |
| 发呆 | fādāi | to stare blankly; to be stunned | |
| 惊呆 | jīngdāi | stupefied; stunned | |
| 呆瓜 | dāiguā | idiot; fool | |
| 老年痴呆 | lǎoniánchīdāi | senile dementia; Alzheimer's disease |
呆 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 呆
Learning 呆 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 呆
How many strokes are in 呆?
呆 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 呆 mean?
呆 (dāi) means foolish; stupid; expressionless; blank; variant of 待[dai1]. A common word with it is 痴呆 (chīdāi), meaning "stupid; dull; (medicine) dementia".
How do you pronounce 呆?
呆 is pronounced dāi, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 呆?
The radical of 呆 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 呆 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 呆?
The traditional form of 呆 is 獃. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 呆 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 呆 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 呆 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 2.
Is 帅呆了 an insult because 呆 means stupid?
No. 帅呆了 (shuàidāile) is casual slang meaning "so cool" or "awesome." Here 呆 just intensifies the praise, like being stunned by how cool something is.
Should I write 呆 or 待 for "to stay"?
Both are seen for dāi meaning "to stay," as in 呆一会儿 or 待一会儿 (stay a while). 待 is often considered the more standard choice in formal writing, while 呆 is very common in everyday use.