旦 meaning and stroke order
Dawn; morning; day
How to write 旦, 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
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Meaning of 旦
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (literary) dawn; daybreak
- dan, female role in Chinese opera (traditionally played by specialized male actors)
How 旦 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. The sun 日 rising over the horizon 一.
Radical: 日 (sun), shared by 116 characters on this site.
How to remember 旦
The sun 日 sits just above a flat line 一, the horizon. That is the moment the sun comes up, so 旦 (dàn) means dawn.
旦 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It mostly appears in set words like 元旦 (Yuándàn, New Year's Day) and 一旦 (yīdàn, once; if ever). Example: 一旦下雨，我们就回家。(Yīdàn xià yǔ, wǒmen jiù huí jiā.) If it rains, we will go home.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 旦 with 但 (dàn, but), which has the same sound but adds the person radical 亻 on the left. Write 元旦 for New Year's Day, not 元但.
Common words with 旦
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
旦 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 旦
Learning 旦 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 旦
How many strokes are in 旦?
旦 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 旦 mean?
旦 (dàn) means dawn; morning; day. A common word with it is 一旦 (yīdàn), meaning "in case (sth happens); if".
How do you pronounce 旦?
旦 is pronounced dàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 旦?
The radical of 旦 is 日, which carries the idea of "sun". Dictionaries list 旦 under this radical.
Is 旦 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 旦 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 2.
What does 旦 mean in Chinese opera?
In Chinese opera, 旦 (dàn) is the name for female roles. Famous male actors like Mei Lanfang were known for playing 旦 roles.
Is 元旦 the same as Chinese New Year?
No. 元旦 (Yuándàn) is January 1 on the Western calendar. Chinese New Year is called 春节 (Chūnjié) and follows the lunar calendar.