TraceHanzi

钝 meaning and stroke order

dùn

Blunt, obtuse; dull, flat; dim-witted

9 strokesRadical 钅Traditional 鈍
Strokes9
Pinyindùn
ToneTone 4
Frequency#3,290
Printable worksheet

How to write 钝, 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.

  1. 1
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Meaning of 钝

Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.

dùnfourth tone (falling)
  1. blunt
  2. stupid

How 钝 is built

Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Metal.

jīngold+túnto station

钅 gives the meaning and 屯 hints at the sound.

Radical: 钅 (gold), shared by 223 characters on this site.

How to remember 钝

The metal radical 钅 tells you this is about a blade, and 屯 (tún) gives the sound. Picture a metal knife that has been stored away (屯 can mean to store up) so long that it has gone blunt.

钝 (dùn) describes tools that are not sharp, like knives or scissors, and by extension people who are slow to react or understand. It often appears in 迟钝 (chídùn), meaning sluggish. Example: 这把刀太钝了。(Zhè bǎ dāo tài dùn le.) This knife is too blunt.

Common mistake: Learners often read 钝 as tún because of the phonetic part 屯, but the correct reading is dùn with a fourth tone. Also do not confuse it with 顿 (dùn, a pause or a measure word for meals), which sounds the same but uses 页 instead of 钅.

Common words with 钝

Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.

WordPinyinMeaningLevel
迟钝chídùnslow in one's reactions; sluggish (in movement or thought)
钝器dùnqìblunt instrument (used as a weapon)

钝 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

我wǒ的de刀dāo变biàn钝dùn了le。
My knife has become dull.
铅qiān笔bǐ头tóu钝dùn了le。
The point of the pencil has become dull.
那nà把bǎ刀dāo太tài钝dùn了le，根gēn本běn切qiè不bù动dòng肉ròu，我wǒ只zhǐ好hǎo拿ná出chū我wǒ的de小xiǎo刀dāo。
The knife was so blunt that I could not cut the meat with it and I resorted to my pocket knife.
我wǒ的de剑jiàn虽suī然rán是shì钝dùn的de，但dàn应yìng付fù你nǐ的de话huà是shì绰chuò绰chuò有yǒu余yú的de。
My sword may be blunt, but that's more than enough for someone like you.
太tài阳yáng穴xué钝dùn钝dùn地dì痛tòng，意yì识shí似sì乎hū被bèi笼lǒng罩zhào上shàng了le一yī层céng薄báo薄báo的de雾wù霭ǎi。
I have a dull pain in my temples and my mind feels like its covered with a thin layer of fog.

Questions about 钝

How many strokes are in 钝?

钝 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 钝 mean?

钝 (dùn) means blunt, obtuse; dull, flat; dim-witted. A common word with it is 迟钝 (chídùn), meaning "slow in one's reactions; sluggish (in movement or thought)".

How do you pronounce 钝?

钝 is pronounced dùn, in the fourth tone (falling).

What is the radical of 钝?

The radical of 钝 is 钅, which carries the idea of "gold". Dictionaries list 钝 under this radical.

What is the traditional form of 钝?

The traditional form of 钝 is 鈍. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 钝 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.

What is the opposite of 钝 in Chinese?

The usual opposite is 快 (kuài) in casual speech about knives, as in 刀很快 (the knife is sharp), or 锋利 (fēnglì) for sharp. For people, the opposite of 迟钝 is 敏锐 (mǐnruì), meaning sharp or perceptive.

Is it rude to call someone 钝?

Saying someone is 迟钝 can sound critical, since it means slow to react or catch on. People sometimes use it about themselves in a self-deprecating way, such as 我反应有点迟钝 (I'm a bit slow to react).