懂 meaning and stroke order
To understand; to comprehend
How to write 懂, 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.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
Meaning of 懂
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to understand
- to comprehend
How 懂 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mind.
忄 gives the meaning and 董 hints at the sound.
Radical: 忄 (heart), shared by 167 characters on this site.
How to remember 懂
懂 (dǒng) is the heart radical 忄 (mind) next to 董 (dǒng), which gives the sound. Picture your mind finally clicking with something: when the heart side lights up, you understand.
懂 often follows a verb of perceiving to show whether you understood: 听懂 (tīngdǒng) for hearing, 看懂 (kàndǒng) for seeing or reading. Put 不 or 得 in the middle to say you can or cannot understand. Example: 我听不懂。(Wǒ tīng bu dǒng.) I can't understand what I'm hearing.
Common mistake: Learners often say 我不懂 when they simply did not hear clearly or do not know a fact. 懂 means grasping meaning, so for unknown facts use 不知道 (bù zhīdào) instead. Also, do not drop the 忄 and write 董, which is a surname and a different word.
Common words with 懂
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 懂得 | dǒngde | to understand; to know; to comprehend | HSK 2 |
| 懂事 | dǒngshì | to grow beyond the naivete of childhood; to be aware of what is going on in the world; (es | HSK 7-9 |
| 听不懂 | tīngbudǒng | unable to make sense of what one is hearing | |
| 听懂 | tīngdǒng | to understand (on hearing); to catch (what is spoken) | |
| 搞不懂 | gǎobudǒng | unable to make sense of (sth) | |
| 看不懂 | kànbudǒng | unable to make sense of what one is looking at | |
| 听得懂 | tīngdedǒng | to understand (by hearing); to catch (what sb says) | |
| 读懂 | dúdǒng | to read and understand | |
| 难懂 | nándǒng | difficult to understand | |
| 弄懂 | nòngdǒng | to make sense of; to grasp the meaning of |
懂 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 懂
How many strokes are in 懂?
懂 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 懂 mean?
懂 (dǒng) means to understand; to comprehend. A common word with it is 懂得 (dǒngde), meaning "to understand; to know; to comprehend".
How do you pronounce 懂?
懂 is pronounced dǒng, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 懂?
The radical of 懂 is 忄, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 懂 under this radical.
Is 懂 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 懂 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What is the difference between 懂 and 明白?
Both mean to understand and are often interchangeable, as in 我懂了 or 我明白了. 明白 (míngbai) leans toward something becoming clear to you. 懂 combines more naturally with verbs like 听懂 and 看懂.
What does 懂事 mean when describing a child?
懂事 (dǒngshì) describes someone, often a child, who is sensible and considerate and understands how to behave. Parents praise a child by saying 这孩子很懂事 (zhè háizi hěn dǒngshì), this kid is very sensible.