頓 meaning and stroke order
To pause; to bow; to arrange
How to write 頓, 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.
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Meaning of 頓
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to stop
- to pause
- to arrange
- to lay out
- to kowtow
- to stamp (one's foot)
How 頓 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Head.
頁 gives the meaning and 屯 hints at the sound.
Radical: 頁 (page), shared by 45 characters on this site.
How to remember 頓
頓 combines 屯 (tún), which gives the sound, with 頁 (yè), meaning head. Picture someone lowering their head to the ground in a bow, and pausing there for a moment.
頓 (simplified 顿) appears in words about pausing or settling things, like 停顿 (tíngdùn) to pause and 整顿 (zhěngdùn) to reorganize. It is also very common as a measure word for meals, scoldings, or beatings. Example: 我们吃了一顿饭。(Wǒmen chīle yí dùn fàn.) We had a meal.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up the phonetic part 屯 (tún) with 吨 (dūn, ton), which uses the same component and a similar sound but a different tone and meaning. Remember that 頓 is fourth tone, dùn, while 吨 is first tone.
Common words with 頓
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 整頓 | zhěngdùn | to tidy up; to reorganize | HSK 6 |
| 停頓 | tíngdùn | to halt; to break off | HSK 7-9 |
| 頓時 | dùnshí | immediately; suddenly | HSK 7-9 |
| 抑揚頓挫 | yìyáng-dùncuò | see 頓挫抑揚|顿挫抑扬[dun4 cuo4 yi4 yang2] | HSK 7-9 |
| 牛頓 | Niúdùn | newton (SI unit of force) | |
| 安頓 | āndùn | to find a place for; to help settle down | |
| 頓悟 | dùnwù | a flash of realization; the truth in a flash |
Characters that contain 頓
Learning 頓 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 頓
How many strokes are in 頓?
頓 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 頓 mean?
頓 (dùn) means to pause; to bow; to arrange. A common word with it is 整顿 (zhěngdùn), meaning "to tidy up; to reorganize".
How do you pronounce 頓?
頓 is pronounced dùn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 頓?
The radical of 頓 is 頁, which carries the idea of "page". Dictionaries list 頓 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 頓?
頓 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 顿, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 顿时 mean and how is it used?
顿时 (dùnshí) means immediately or suddenly, and it is used for a change that happens right after something else. Example: 他听了，顿时笑了。(Tā tīngle, dùnshí xiào le.) He heard it and laughed at once.
Why is 顿 in the name 牛顿 (Newton)?
Here 顿 is used only for its sound to transliterate the foreign name Newton. The same name is also used for the newton, the SI unit of force.