How to Write 沓 (dá/tà) — Meaning “a stack; a pile; repeated”

Imagine a stack of water bottles (水) with labels on them (曰). The bottles are piled high, forming a "stack" (沓). This visual helps you remember that 沓 means a pile or stack.

Write the top part 水 with four strokes, then the bottom 曰 with four strokes. Keep the 水 spread wide enough to cover the 曰 below. A common mistake is making the 水 too narrow, making the character look unbalanced.

沓 (dá, stack) has water over speech; 氽 (tǔn, float) has water over a person, meaning to float; 汆 (cuān, to quick-boil) has water over a hole, used in cooking. Visually, the bottom components differ: 曰 (say), 人 (person), and 入 (enter).

沓 is used in words like 一沓儿 (a stack of paper) and 纷至沓来 (to come in large numbers). It can also mean sluggish in 疲沓 (dilatory). It is not common in daily speech but appears in formal or literary contexts.

Common words containing 沓 include: 一沓儿 (yī dá ér) — a stack / a pile (of paper, money, etc.); 纷至沓来 (fēn zhì tà lái) — to come in thick and fast; to pour in; 疲沓 (pí tà) — Sluggish, dilatory, or lacking energy..