碇 meaning and stroke order
Anchor
How to write 碇, 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
Meaning of 碇
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- anchor
- variant of 碇[ding4]
How 碇 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Rock.
石 gives the meaning and 定 hints at the sound.
Radical: 石 (stone), shared by 114 characters on this site.
How to remember 碇
碇 combines 石 (shí, stone) with 定 (dìng, to settle or fix). A stone that makes a boat stay fixed in place is an anchor, and 定 also gives the sound dìng.
碇 is a literary or technical word for an anchor. It appears mostly in set phrases about boats, such as 下碇 (xià dìng, to drop anchor) and 起碇 (qǐ dìng, to weigh anchor). Example: 船在港口下碇。(Chuán zài gǎngkǒu xià dìng.) The ship dropped anchor in the harbor.
Common mistake: Learners often write 碇 with the radical 石 left out and end up with 定 (dìng, fixed), which has the same sound but a different meaning. Also note that everyday Chinese usually says 锚 (máo) for anchor, so 碇 can sound old-fashioned in casual speech.
Questions about 碇
How many strokes are in 碇?
碇 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 碇 mean?
碇 (dìng) means anchor.
How do you pronounce 碇?
碇 is pronounced dìng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 碇?
The radical of 碇 is 石, which carries the idea of "stone". Dictionaries list 碇 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 碇?
The traditional form of 碇 is 椗 and 矴. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 碇 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 碇 and 锚?
Both mean anchor. 锚 (máo) is the common modern word, as in 抛锚 (pāo máo, to drop anchor). 碇 is more literary and goes back to the time when anchors were heavy stones.
Is 碇 used in names?
Yes, it shows up in some place names and Japanese surnames, such as 碇 (Ikari) in Japanese. In Chinese reading it is still pronounced dìng.