坍 meaning and stroke order
Collapse; landslide
How to write 坍, 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
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- 7
Meaning of 坍
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to collapse
How 坍 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Earth.
土 gives the meaning and 丹 hints at the sound.
Radical: 土 (soil), shared by 183 characters on this site.
How to remember 坍
坍 is earth 土 on the left with 丹 (dān) on the right giving the sound. Picture a pile of earth 土 giving way and sliding down, which is what 坍 (tān) means: to collapse.
坍 is rarely used alone in modern speech. It mostly appears in the word 坍塌 (tāntā), used for buildings, bridges, tunnels, or hillsides falling down. Example: 大桥突然坍塌了。(Dà qiáo tūrán tāntā le.) The bridge suddenly collapsed.
Common mistake: Learners often read 坍 as dān because of the phonetic part 丹, but the correct reading is tān with a first tone. Also do not confuse it with 摊 (tān, to spread out or a stall), which sounds the same but has the hand radical.
Common words with 坍
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 坍塌 | tāntā | to collapse |
坍 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 坍
How many strokes are in 坍?
坍 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 坍 mean?
坍 (tān) means collapse; landslide. A common word with it is 坍塌 (tāntā), meaning "to collapse".
How do you pronounce 坍?
坍 is pronounced tān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 坍?
The radical of 坍 is 土, which carries the idea of "soil". Dictionaries list 坍 under this radical.
What is the difference between 坍塌 and 倒塌?
Both mean to collapse. 倒塌 (dǎotā) suggests something standing upright falling over, like a wall or house. 坍塌 often suggests something caving in or sinking down, like a tunnel, mine, or slope, though the two overlap a lot.
Can 坍 be used for abstract things like a plan or a company collapsing?
Not usually. 坍 and 坍塌 describe physical structures or land. For a plan, business, or system falling apart, Chinese more often uses 崩溃 (bēngkuì) or 垮 (kuǎ).