滩 meaning and stroke order
Rapids; sandbar, shoal
How to write 滩, 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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Meaning of 滩
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- beach
- shoal
- rapids
- classifier for liquids: pool, puddle
How 滩 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Difficult 难 waters 氵 to navigate; 难 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 滩
滩 combines water 氵 with 难 (nán, difficult). Picture shallow, rocky water near the shore that is difficult for boats to pass, like rapids or a sandbar.
滩 usually appears in words for shores and shallows, such as 海滩 (hǎitān) and 沙滩 (shātān). It is also a measure word for a puddle or pool of liquid. Example: 地上有一滩水。(Dì shang yǒu yì tān shuǐ.) There is a puddle of water on the floor.
Common mistake: Learners often say nán because of the component 难, but 滩 is read tān in the first tone. Also do not confuse it with 摊 (tān, stall, to spread out), which has the hand radical 扌 instead of water 氵.
Common words with 滩
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
滩 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 滩
How many strokes are in 滩?
滩 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 滩 mean?
滩 (tān) means rapids; sandbar, shoal. A common word with it is 海滩 (hǎitān), meaning "beach".
How do you pronounce 滩?
滩 is pronounced tān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 滩?
The radical of 滩 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 滩 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 滩?
The traditional form of 滩 is 灘. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 滩 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 滩 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 滩 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 海滩 and 沙滩?
海滩 (hǎitān) means a beach by the sea, focusing on the location. 沙滩 (shātān) means a sandy shore, focusing on the sand, and it can also be by a lake or river.
What can the measure word 滩 be used with?
滩 counts spread-out pools of liquid or soft matter, such as 一滩水 (a puddle of water), 一滩血 (a pool of blood), or 一滩泥 (a patch of mud). It is not used for liquid in a container, where you would use 杯 or 瓶.