诞 meaning and stroke order
To give birth, to bear children; birth, birthday
How to write 诞, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Meaning of 诞
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- birth
- birthday
- brag
- boast
- to increase
How 诞 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Speech.
讠 gives the meaning and 延 hints at the sound.
Radical: 讠 (words), shared by 144 characters on this site.
How to remember 诞
诞 combines 讠 (speech) with 延 (yán), which gives the sound. Picture people talking on and on, stretching their words like 延 (to extend), the way stories about a birth or a boast keep growing.
诞 rarely stands alone. It appears in formal words about birth, like 诞生 (dànshēng) and 诞辰 (dànchén), and in words for the absurd, like 荒诞 (huāngdàn). Example: 圣诞节快乐 (Shèngdàn Jié kuàilè) Merry Christmas.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 诞 with 延 (yán, to extend) because 延 makes up most of the character. Remember that 诞 has the 讠 speech radical on the left and is read dàn in the fourth tone, not yán.
Common words with 诞
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
诞 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 诞
How many strokes are in 诞?
诞 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 诞 mean?
诞 (dàn) means to give birth, to bear children; birth, birthday. A common word with it is 圣诞节 (Shèngdàn Jié), meaning "Christmas time; Christmas season".
How do you pronounce 诞?
诞 is pronounced dàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 诞?
The radical of 诞 is 讠, which carries the idea of "words". Dictionaries list 诞 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 诞?
The traditional form of 诞 is 誕. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 诞 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 诞 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 诞 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can I use 诞辰 for my friend's birthday?
Not usually. 诞辰 is very formal and is used for important or historical figures, such as a famous person's 100th birth anniversary. For everyday birthdays, say 生日 (shēngrì).
Why does 诞 appear in words meaning absurd, like 荒诞?
The dictionary also lists brag and boast as senses of 诞. Exaggerated talk goes beyond belief, so words like 荒诞 (huāngdàn) and 怪诞 (guàidàn) describe something absurd or weird.