坦 meaning and stroke order
Flat, level, smooth; candid, open
How to write 坦, stroke by stroke
8 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 坦
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- flat
- open-hearted
- level
- smooth
How 坦 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Earth.
土 gives the meaning and 旦 hints at the sound.
Radical: 土 (soil), shared by 183 characters on this site.
How to remember 坦
坦 is pictophonetic: 土 (earth) on the left gives the meaning, and 旦 (dàn) on the right hints at the sound. Picture the sun 旦 rising over flat, open ground 土, with nothing hidden, so it means both level and candid.
坦 rarely stands alone and usually appears in two-character words like 平坦 (píngtǎn, flat) for land and roads, or 坦白 (tǎnbái) and 坦诚 (tǎnchéng) for honest people. Example: 这条路很平坦。(Zhè tiáo lù hěn píngtǎn.) This road is very flat.
Common mistake: Learners often read 坦 as dàn because of the phonetic 旦, but it is tǎn with a third tone. Also do not confuse it with 但 (dàn, but), which has the person radical 亻 instead of 土.
Common words with 坦
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 平坦 | píngtǎn | level; even | HSK 5 |
| 坦白 | tǎnbái | honest; forthcoming | HSK 7-9 |
| 坦克 | tǎnkè | (loanword) tank (military vehicle); (derog.) (slang) overweight woman | HSK 7-9 |
| 坦诚 | tǎnchéng | candid; frank | HSK 7-9 |
| 坦率 | tǎnshuài | frank; candid; straightforward | HSK 7-9 |
| 坦然 | tǎnrán | calm; undisturbed | HSK 7-9 |
| 舒坦 | shūtan | comfortable; at ease | |
| 利维坦 | lìwéitǎn | (loanword) leviathan | |
| 坦承 | tǎnchéng | to confess; to admit | |
| 反坦克 | fǎntǎnkè | anti-tank |
坦 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 坦
How many strokes are in 坦?
坦 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 坦 mean?
坦 (tǎn) means flat, level, smooth; candid, open. A common word with it is 平坦 (píngtǎn), meaning "level; even".
How do you pronounce 坦?
坦 is pronounced tǎn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 坦?
The radical of 坦 is 土, which carries the idea of "soil". Dictionaries list 坦 under this radical.
Is 坦 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 坦 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 坦白 and 坦率?
坦白 (tǎnbái) often means to confess or come clean about something, as in 坦白说 (to be honest). 坦率 (tǎnshuài) describes a frank, straightforward personality or way of speaking.
Why does 坦克 mean tank?
坦克 (tǎnkè) is a sound loan from the English word tank, so the characters were chosen for sound, not meaning. Note that it can also be derogatory slang for an overweight woman, so use it with care.