灘 meaning and stroke order
Rapids; sandbar, shoal
How to write 灘, stroke by stroke
22 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 灘
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- beach
- shoal
- rapids
- classifier for liquids: pool, puddle
How 灘 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Difficult 難 waters 氵 to navigate; 難 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 灘
The water radical 氵 sits beside 難 (nán), meaning difficult. Shallow water over sand and rocks is difficult 難 water 氵 for boats to pass, which gives you shoals and rapids.
灘 (tān) appears mostly in compounds about shores and shallows, such as 海灘 (hǎitān) beach and 沙灘 (shātān) sandy beach. It is also a classifier for puddles or pools of liquid. Example: 地上有一灘水。(Dì shang yǒu yì tān shuǐ.) There is a puddle of water on the floor.
Common mistake: Learners often read 灘 as nán because of the 難 component, but the character is pronounced tān in the first tone. Also keep it apart from 攤 (tān, a stall or to spread out), which has the hand radical 扌 instead of water 氵.
Common words with 灘
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
Questions about 灘
How many strokes are in 灘?
灘 is written with 22 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 灘 mean?
灘 (tān) means rapids; sandbar, shoal. A common word with it is 海滩 (hǎitān), meaning "beach".
How do you pronounce 灘?
灘 is pronounced tān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 灘?
The radical of 灘 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 灘 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 灘?
灘 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 滩, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why do I see 滩 instead of 灘 in many places?
滩 is the simplified form used in mainland China, where the right side 難 is simplified to 难. 灘 is the form used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and in traditional texts. The meaning and pronunciation are the same.
How do I use 灘 as a measure word?
Use it with liquids or soft messes spread on a surface, like 一灘水 (yì tān shuǐ) a puddle of water or 一灘血 (yì tān xiě) a pool of blood. It describes a flat, spread-out patch, not liquid in a container.