胆 meaning and stroke order
Gall bladder; courage; guts
How to write 胆, stroke by stroke
9 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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- 9
Meaning of 胆
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- gall bladder
- courage
- guts
- gall
- inner container (e.g. bladder of a football, inner container of a thermos)
How 胆 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Flesh.
⺼ gives the meaning and 旦 hints at the sound.
Radical: ⺼ (meat), shared by 176 characters on this site.
How to remember 胆
胆 is pictophonetic: the flesh radical ⺼ tells you it is a body part, and 旦 (dàn) gives the sound. Picture the sun rising over the horizon in 旦 and think of an organ that gives you the courage to face the day.
胆 (dǎn) means the gallbladder, but it is used far more often to mean courage or nerve, much like English "guts." It appears in words like 胆子 (dǎnzi), 大胆 (dàdǎn) and 胆小 (dǎnxiǎo). Example: 他胆子很大。(Tā dǎnzi hěn dà.) He is very bold.
Common mistake: Learners often say dàn with a fourth tone because the phonetic 旦 is dàn, but 胆 is third tone, dǎn. Also do not confuse the left part ⺼ (flesh) with 月 (moon) in meaning; here it signals a body part.
Common words with 胆
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 大胆 | dàdǎn | brazen; audacious | HSK 5 |
| 胆小 | dǎnxiǎo | cowardice; timid | HSK 5 |
| 胆子 | dǎnzi | courage; nerve | HSK 7-9 |
| 胆怯 | dǎnqiè | timidity; timid | HSK 7-9 |
| 提心吊胆 | tíxīn-diàodǎn | (idiom) nervous; fearful; on edge | HSK 7-9 |
| 壮胆 | zhuàngdǎn | to get one’s courage up; to embolden | HSK 7-9 |
| 胆小鬼 | dǎnxiǎoguǐ | coward | |
| 胆量 | dǎnliàng | courage; boldness | |
| 胆敢 | dǎngǎn | to dare (negative connotation); to have the audacity to (do sth) | |
| 胆固醇 | dǎngùchún | cholesterol | |
| 海胆 | hǎidǎn | (zoology) sea urchin | |
| 胆识 | dǎnshí | courage and insight | |
| 斗胆 | dǒudǎn | (courteous) to be so bold as to |
胆 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 胆
How many strokes are in 胆?
胆 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 胆 mean?
胆 (dǎn) means gall bladder; courage; guts. A common word with it is 大胆 (dàdǎn), meaning "brazen; audacious".
How do you pronounce 胆?
胆 is pronounced dǎn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 胆?
The radical of 胆 is ⺼, which carries the idea of "meat". Dictionaries list 胆 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 胆?
The traditional form of 胆 is 膽. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 胆 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 胆 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 胆 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
How do you say someone is brave or cowardly using 胆?
Say 胆子大 (dǎnzi dà) for brave and 胆子小 (dǎnzi xiǎo) or 胆小 (dǎnxiǎo) for timid. A coward is called 胆小鬼 (dǎnxiǎoguǐ), which is a casual and somewhat teasing word.
Can 胆 refer to things that are not body parts?
Yes. It can mean an inner container, such as the inner bladder of a football or the inner liner of a thermos, for example 球胆 (qiúdǎn) and 瓶胆 (píngdǎn).