搪 meaning and stroke order
To parry, to block; to ward off, to evade
How to write 搪, stroke by stroke
13 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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- 13
Meaning of 搪
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to keep out
- to hold off
- to ward off
- to evade
- to spread
- to coat
How 搪 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 唐 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 搪
The hand radical 扌 shows the action, and 唐 (táng) gives the sound. Picture a hand raised to block something coming at you, and you have 搪 (táng), to ward off.
搪 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese and mostly appears in set words. The most common are 搪塞 (tángsè), to give a perfunctory answer or put someone off, and 搪瓷 (tángcí), enamel, from the sense of coating. Example: 他总是找借口搪塞我。(Tā zǒngshì zhǎo jièkǒu tángsè wǒ.) He always makes excuses to put me off.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 搪 with 塘 (táng, pond) and 糖 (táng, sugar), which share the same phonetic 唐 and the same sound. Remember that only 搪 has the hand 扌, because blocking and coating are things you do with your hands.
Questions about 搪
How many strokes are in 搪?
搪 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 搪 mean?
搪 (táng) means to parry, to block; to ward off, to evade.
How do you pronounce 搪?
搪 is pronounced táng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 搪?
The radical of 搪 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 搪 under this radical.
What does 搪塞 mean and is it negative?
搪塞 (tángsè) means to brush someone off with a vague answer or excuse instead of dealing with the matter. It is negative and suggests the person is avoiding responsibility.
Why is enamel called 搪瓷?
搪 can mean to spread or coat, and 瓷 (cí) means porcelain. 搪瓷 (tángcí) describes metal coated with a glassy porcelain-like layer, such as an enamel mug, 搪瓷杯 (tángcí bēi).