垫 meaning and stroke order
Pad; cushion; mat
How to write 垫, stroke by stroke
9 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 垫
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- pad
- cushion
- mat
- to pad out
- to fill a gap
- to pay for sb
How 垫 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Earth.
土 gives the meaning and 执 hints at the sound.
Radical: 土 (soil), shared by 183 characters on this site.
How to remember 垫
垫 is 执 (zhí, to hold) sitting on top of 土 (tǔ, earth). Picture earth packed underneath to hold something up, like a pad or mat placed below.
垫 means a cushion or mat, and as a verb it means to put something underneath, to fill a gap, or to pay for someone for now. You will hear it in words like 床垫 (chuángdiàn, mattress) and 坐垫 (zuòdiàn, seat cushion). Example: 我先帮你垫钱。 (Wǒ xiān bāng nǐ diàn qián.) I'll pay for you first.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 垫 with 热 (rè, hot), since both have 执 on top. 热 has four dots (灬, fire) at the bottom, while 垫 has 土 (earth). Also remember the fourth tone: diàn, not diān.
Common words with 垫
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
垫 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 垫
How many strokes are in 垫?
垫 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 垫 mean?
垫 (diàn) means pad; cushion; mat. A common word with it is 垫子 (diànzi), meaning "cushion; mat; pad".
How do you pronounce 垫?
垫 is pronounced diàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 垫?
The radical of 垫 is 土, which carries the idea of "soil". Dictionaries list 垫 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 垫?
The traditional form of 垫 is 墊. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 垫 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 垫 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 垫 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 垫钱 mean, and is it the same as lending money?
垫钱 (diàn qián) means to cover a cost for someone for now, expecting to be paid back later, like paying a bill for a friend. It is more casual and short term than 借钱 (jiè qián), which means a formal loan.
What does 垫底 mean when talking about rankings?
Besides its literal meanings, 垫底 (diàndǐ) is often used to mean coming in last place. For example, 他考试垫底了 (tā kǎoshì diàndǐ le) means he came last in the exam.