燉 meaning and stroke order
To simmer; to stew
How to write 燉, stroke by stroke
16 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 燉
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to stew
How 燉 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Fire.
火 gives the meaning and 敦 hints at the sound.
Radical: 火 (fire), shared by 128 characters on this site.
How to remember 燉
Put fire 火 on the left and 敦 (dūn) on the right. The fire tells you it is cooking, and 敦 gives the sound, so think of a pot sitting over a low fire for a long, steady simmer.
燉 (dùn) means to cook something slowly in liquid over low heat, often meat, soup or tofu. It is the traditional form, and mainland China writes it 炖. Example: 我媽媽在燉雞湯。(Wǒ māma zài dùn jītāng.) My mom is simmering chicken soup.
Common mistake: Learners often read it with the first tone like its sound part 敦 (dūn), but 燉 is fourth tone, dùn. Also do not mix it up with 煮 (zhǔ), which is general boiling or cooking, while 燉 means slow stewing.
Common words with 燉
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 燉肉 | dùnròu | to stew meat; stewed meat | |
| 燉菜 | dùncài | a stew |
Questions about 燉
How many strokes are in 燉?
燉 is written with 16 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 燉 mean?
燉 (dùn) means to simmer; to stew. A common word with it is 炖肉 (dùnròu), meaning "to stew meat; stewed meat".
How do you pronounce 燉?
燉 is pronounced dùn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 燉?
The radical of 燉 is 火, which carries the idea of "fire". Dictionaries list 燉 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 燉?
燉 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 炖, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 燉 and 燜 (mèn)?
燉 usually means slow cooking with plenty of liquid, like a soup or stew. 燜 means braising with a lid on and little liquid, so the food cooks in its own steam.
Can 燉 be used for things other than meat?
Yes. You can 燉 vegetables, tofu, eggs or even fruit, as in 燉梨 (dùn lí), stewed pear. The word is about the slow cooking method, not the ingredient.