德 meaning and stroke order
Virtue; goodness; morality
How to write 德, stroke by stroke
15 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 德
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- virtue
- goodness
- morality
- ethics
- kindness
- favor
How 德 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
心 gives the meaning.
Radical: 彳 (to step with the left foot), shared by 42 characters on this site.
How to remember 德
Picture a person on the move 彳, with ten 十 eyes 罒 watching, and one 一 heart 心 that stays true. Virtue 德 (dé) is keeping a good heart even when many eyes are on your path.
德 (dé) is a formal word for moral goodness and usually appears in compounds like 道德 (dàodé, morality), 美德 (měidé, virtue), and 品德 (pǐndé, moral character). Example: 诚实是一种美德。(Chéngshí shì yì zhǒng měidé.) Honesty is a virtue.
Common mistake: Learners often forget the short horizontal 一 line between 罒 and 心 on the right side, or write 亻 instead of the double-stroke radical 彳. Also compare 听 and 德 in older forms: the right side of 德 is 十 over 罒 over 一 over 心, not 惠 (huì).
Common words with 德
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 道德 | dàodé | virtue; morality | HSK 5 |
| 美德 | měidé | virtue | HSK 7-9 |
| 品德 | pǐndé | moral character | HSK 7-9 |
| 德行 | déxíng | morality and conduct; Taiwan pr. [de2 xing4] | |
| 不道德 | bùdàodé | immoral | |
| 拉德 | lādé | rad (unit of absorbed dose of ionizing radiation) (loanword) | |
| 德性 | déxìng | moral integrity | |
| 德比 | débǐ | (sports) (loanword) derby (contest between local rivals) | |
| 缺德 | quēdé | mean; nasty; reprehensible; unprincipled | |
| 威德 | wēidé | power and virtue | |
| 歌德 | Gēdé | to sing the praises of sb | |
| 玛德琳 | Mǎdélín | madeleine (French cake) | |
| 恩德 | ēndé | benevolence; favor |
德 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 德
How many strokes are in 德?
德 is written with 15 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 德 mean?
德 (dé) means virtue; goodness; morality. A common word with it is 道德 (dàodé), meaning "virtue; morality".
How do you pronounce 德?
德 is pronounced dé, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 德?
The radical of 德 is 彳, which carries the idea of "to step with the left foot". Dictionaries list 德 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 德?
The traditional form of 德 is 悳 and 惪. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 德 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 德 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 德 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.
Why does 德 mean Germany?
德国 (Déguó) means Germany because 德 was chosen to sound like the start of Deutschland. Standing alone in news or casual speech, 德 can be short for Germany, as in 德语 (Déyǔ, German language).
Is 德 used in loanwords?
Yes. Because of its sound, 德 appears in borrowed words like 德比 (débǐ, derby match) and 拉德 (lādé, rad, a radiation unit). In these words it carries no meaning of virtue.