氮 meaning and stroke order
Nitrogen
How to write 氮, stroke by stroke
12 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 氮
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- nitrogen (chemistry)
How 氮 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Gas.
气 gives the meaning and 炎 hints at the sound.
Radical: 气 (air), shared by 24 characters on this site.
How to remember 氮
The 气 (qì, gas) frame tells you this is a gas, and 炎 (yán) inside gives a sound hint. Picture a gas that smothers the double fire 炎, since nitrogen does not burn.
氮 (dàn) is a chemistry word for the element nitrogen. It appears in science, farming, and industry terms. When people mean the gas itself, they usually say 氮气 (dànqì), for example 空气里大部分是氮气。(Kōngqì lǐ dà bùfen shì dànqì.) Most of the air is nitrogen.
Common mistake: Learners often read 氮 as yán because of the 炎 inside, but the sound hint is loose and the correct reading is dàn in the fourth tone. It is also easy to mix up with 氦 (hài, helium) and 氧 (yǎng, oxygen), which share the same 气 frame.
Common words with 氮
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 氮气 | dànqì | nitrogen |
氮 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 氮
How many strokes are in 氮?
氮 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 氮 mean?
氮 (dàn) means nitrogen. A common word with it is 氮气 (dànqì), meaning "nitrogen".
How do you pronounce 氮?
氮 is pronounced dàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 氮?
The radical of 氮 is 气, which carries the idea of "air". Dictionaries list 氮 under this radical.
Why do so many gas elements look like 氮?
Chinese names for gaseous elements are written with the 气 frame, such as 氧 (yǎng, oxygen), 氢 (qīng, hydrogen), and 氮 (dàn, nitrogen). The part inside mainly hints at the sound.
Is 氮 the same sound as 蛋 (dàn, egg)?
Yes, both are pronounced dàn with the fourth tone, so they sound identical in speech. Context makes it clear, since 氮 only appears in chemistry and science words.