電 meaning and stroke order
Electricity; electric; lightning
How to write 電, 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.
- 1
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- 4
- 5
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- 9
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- 13
Meaning of 電
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- lightning
- electricity
- electric (bound form)
- to get (or give) an electric shock
- phone call or telegram etc
- to send via telephone or telegram etc
How 電 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A thunderbolt 电 cast by a storm cloud 雨.
Radical: 雨 (rain), shared by 42 characters on this site.
How to remember 電
電 is a storm cloud 雨 (yǔ, rain) sitting on top of a zigzag thunderbolt 电. Picture lightning dropping out of a rain cloud, and that flash is electricity.
電 is the traditional form used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and it appears in countless modern words for electric things, like 電話 (diànhuà, phone) and 電腦 (diànnǎo, computer). It can also be a verb meaning to get a shock. Example: 我晚上給你打電話。(Wǒ wǎnshang gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà.) I will call you tonight.
Common mistake: Learners often drop the 雨 top and write only 电, which is the simplified form, so mixing the two in one traditional text looks wrong. Also keep the fourth tone diàn, and do not confuse it with 店 (diàn, shop), which sounds the same but has a roof radical 广.
Common words with 電
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 電話 | diànhuà | telephone; phone call | HSK 1 |
| 打電話 | dǎ diànhuà | to make a telephone call | HSK 1 |
| 電影 | diànyǐng | movie; film | HSK 1 |
| 電視 | diànshì | television; TV | HSK 1 |
| 電腦 | diànnǎo | computer | HSK 1 |
| 電影院 | diànyǐngyuàn | cinema; movie theater | HSK 1 |
| 電視機 | diànshìjī | television set | HSK 1 |
| 電臺 | diàntái | transmitter-receiver; broadcasting station | HSK 3 |
| 電視臺 | diànshìtái | television station | HSK 3 |
| 電子郵件 | diànzǐ yóujiàn | HSK 3 | |
| 電視劇 | diànshìjù | TV series; TV drama | HSK 3 |
| 電梯 | diàntī | elevator; escalator | HSK 4 |
| 閃電 | shǎndiàn | lightning | HSK 4 |
| 電源 | diànyuán | electric power source | HSK 4 |
Questions about 電
How many strokes are in 電?
電 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 電 mean?
電 (diàn) means electricity; electric; lightning. A common word with it is 电话 (diànhuà), meaning "telephone; phone call".
How do you pronounce 電?
電 is pronounced diàn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 電?
The radical of 電 is 雨, which carries the idea of "rain". Dictionaries list 電 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 電?
電 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 电, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Can 電 be used as a verb?
Yes. It can mean to give or get an electric shock, as in 我被電了一下 (wǒ bèi diàn le yí xià), I got a little shock. In casual speech it can also mean to dazzle or charm someone.
Why does 電 also refer to telegrams and messages?
Early telegrams and phone calls traveled by electricity, so 電 came to mean a message sent that way. You see this in words like 來電 (láidiàn), an incoming call, and 電報 (diànbào), telegram.