蛋 meaning and stroke order
Egg; oval-shaped thing
How to write 蛋, stroke by stroke
11 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 蛋
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- egg
- oval-shaped thing
How 蛋 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Insect.
虫 gives the meaning and 延 hints at the sound.
Radical: 虫 (insect), shared by 197 characters on this site.
How to remember 蛋
The top part 疋 sits on top of 虫 (chóng), the 'insect' or 'creature' part, which hints at living things. Picture a small creature curled up under a shell: that is an egg, 蛋 (dàn).
蛋 rarely stands alone in daily speech. It usually appears in words like 鸡蛋 (jīdàn, hen's egg) and 蛋糕 (dàngāo, cake). It also forms many insults, such as 笨蛋 (bèndàn, fool) and 坏蛋 (huàidàn, bad guy). Example: 我早上吃了两个鸡蛋。(Wǒ zǎoshang chī le liǎng gè jīdàn.) I ate two eggs this morning.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 蛋 (dàn, egg) with 旦 (dàn, dawn) because they sound the same, or write the top as 足 instead of 疋. Also be careful with words like 混蛋 (húndàn) and 王八蛋 (wángbādàn), which are strong insults, not playful ones like 笨蛋.
Common words with 蛋
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 鸡蛋 | jīdàn | (chicken) egg; hen's egg | HSK 1 |
| 蛋糕 | dàngāo | cake | HSK 5 |
| 笨蛋 | bèndàn | (mild insult) fool; idiot; (playful) silly person | HSK 7-9 |
| 完蛋 | wándàn | (coll.) to be done for | HSK 7-9 |
| 蛋白质 | dànbáizhì | protein | HSK 7-9 |
| 混蛋 | húndàn | scoundrel; bastard | |
| 王八蛋 | wángbādàn | bastard; son of a bitch | |
| 坏蛋 | huàidàn | bad egg; scoundrel | |
| 滚蛋 | gǔndàn | (slang) get out of here!; beat it! | |
| 蠢蛋 | chǔndàn | fool; dolt | |
| 蛋蛋 | dàndàn | (coll.) balls (testicles) | |
| 操蛋 | càodàn | lousy; rotten | |
| 浑蛋 | húndàn | variant of 混蛋[hun2 dan4] | |
| 傻蛋 | shǎdàn | stupid young fellow; idiot |
蛋 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 蛋
How many strokes are in 蛋?
蛋 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 蛋 mean?
蛋 (dàn) means egg; oval-shaped thing. A common word with it is 鸡蛋 (jīdàn), meaning "(chicken) egg; hen's egg".
How do you pronounce 蛋?
蛋 is pronounced dàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 蛋?
The radical of 蛋 is 虫, which carries the idea of "insect". Dictionaries list 蛋 under this radical.
Is 蛋 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 蛋 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
Why does 蛋 appear in so many insults?
In Chinese, calling someone a kind of 'egg' became a common way to label a person, much like 'bad egg' in English. 笨蛋 (bèndàn) is mild and can be teasing, but 混蛋 (húndàn) and 王八蛋 (wángbādàn) are rude.
What does 完蛋 (wándàn) mean and when do people say it?
完蛋 is colloquial for 'to be done for' or 'it's all over.' People say 完蛋了 (wándàn le) when something goes badly wrong, such as forgetting an exam or breaking a phone.