滇 meaning and stroke order
Yunnan province
How to write 滇, 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
How 滇 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 真 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 滇
The water radical 氵 sits beside 真 (zhēn), which gives the sound. Picture the real (真) water of Yunnan's big lake, 滇池 (Diānchí), to remember that 滇 means Yunnan.
滇 is the short name for Yunnan province, used in compounds, news headlines, and on car license plates. It also appears in place names and food names. Example: 滇池在昆明。(Diānchí zài Kūnmíng.) Dianchi Lake is in Kunming.
Common mistake: Learners often read 滇 as zhēn because of the phonetic part 真, but the correct reading is diān with a first tone. It is also easy to confuse with 颠 (diān, to jolt), which has the same sound but uses 页 instead of 氵.
Questions about 滇
How many strokes are in 滇?
滇 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 滇 mean?
滇 (diān) means Yunnan province.
How do you pronounce 滇?
滇 is pronounced diān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 滇?
The radical of 滇 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 滇 under this radical.
Is 滇 used on its own to mean Yunnan in everyday speech?
Not usually. In speech people say 云南 (Yúnnán). 滇 appears in compounds like 滇菜 (Diāncài, Yunnan cuisine), 滇西 (Diānxī, western Yunnan), and on license plates starting with 滇.
What is the connection between 滇 and the ancient kingdom of Dian?
滇 was the name of an ancient kingdom in the Yunnan area, centered around 滇池 (Diānchí). That old name is why 滇 is still used today as the short name for the province.