打 meaning and stroke order
To hit; to strike; to fight; (in many expressions) a semantically light transitive verb used with various objects to form expressions with a wide range of meanings, e.g. 打傘|打伞[da3 san3] "to hold an umbrella", 打電話|打电话[da3 dian4 hua4] "to make a phone call", 打針|打针[da3 zhen1] "to get an injection"
How to write 打, stroke by stroke
5 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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- 4
- 5
Meaning of 打
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to hit; to strike
- to fight
- (in many expressions) a semantically light transitive verb used with various objects to form expressions with a wide range of meanings, e.g. 打傘|打伞[da3 san3] "to hold an umbrella", 打電話|打电话[da3 dian4 hua4] "to make a phone call", 打針|打针[da3 zhen1] "to get an injection"
- (coll.) from; since
- (loanword) dozen
- Taiwan pr. [da3]
How 打 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 丁 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 打
打 is a hand 扌 next to 丁 (dīng), which gives the sound. Picture a hand hitting something with a quick strike, and 丁 reminds you the reading starts with d.
Beyond hitting, 打 is a light, all-purpose verb that pairs with many objects: 打电话 (dǎ diànhuà) to make a call, 打车 (dǎchē) to take a taxi, 打球 (dǎ qiú) to play ball. Example: 我晚上给你打电话。(Wǒ wǎnshang gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà.) I will call you tonight.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 了 or 丁 with a curved hook in the wrong direction, or confuse 打 with 找 (zhǎo, to look for), which also has 扌. Also keep the third tone dǎ in most words, since only the loanword meaning "dozen" is read dá.
Common words with 打
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 打电话 | dǎ diànhuà | to make a telephone call | HSK 1 |
| 打开 | dǎkāi | to open; to show (a ticket) | HSK 1 |
| 打球 | dǎ qiú | to play a ball sport | HSK 1 |
| 打车 | dǎchē | to take a taxi (in town); to hitch a lift | HSK 1 |
| 打算 | dǎsuàn | to plan; to intend | HSK 2 |
| 打工 | dǎgōng | to work a temporary or casual job; (of students) to have a job outside of class time, or d | HSK 2 |
| 打印 | dǎyìn | to affix a seal; to stamp | HSK 2 |
| 打破 | dǎpò | to break; to smash | HSK 3 |
| 打听 | dǎting | to ask about; to make some inquiries | HSK 3 |
| 打败 | dǎbài | to defeat; to overpower | HSK 4 |
| 打扫 | dǎsǎo | to clean; to sweep | HSK 4 |
| 打针 | dǎzhēn | to give or get an injection | HSK 4 |
| 打折 | dǎzhé | to give a discount | HSK 4 |
| 打雷 | dǎléi | to rumble with thunder; clap of thunder | HSK 4 |
打 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 打
How many strokes are in 打?
打 is written with 5 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 打 mean?
打 (dǎ) means to hit; to strike; to fight; (in many expressions) a semantically light transitive verb used with various objects to form expressions with a wide range of meanings, e.g. 打傘|打伞[da3 san3] "to hold an umbrella", 打電話|打电话[da3 dian4 hua4] "to make a phone call", 打針|打针[da3 zhen1] "to get an injection". A common word with it is 打电话 (dǎ diànhuà), meaning "to make a telephone call".
How do you pronounce 打?
打 is pronounced dǎ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 打?
The radical of 打 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 打 under this radical.
Is 打 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 打 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
Does 打 always mean violence?
No. In everyday speech it is mostly neutral, as in 打开 (dǎkāi) to open, 打工 (dǎgōng) to do a part-time job, or 打印 (dǎyìn) to print. Context and the object tell you the meaning.
What does 打算 mean, and is it related to hitting?
打算 (dǎsuàn) means to plan or intend, as in 我打算明年去中国 (Wǒ dǎsuàn míngnián qù Zhōngguó), I plan to go to China next year. Here 打 is just the light verb and has nothing to do with hitting.