How to Write 达 (dá) — Meaning “to reach; to attain”

Picture a person taking a big (大) step forward with their leg (辶) to reach (达) something in the distance. The big step reminds you that the character contains both 'big' and the walking radical.

Write the left part 大 first (stroke order: horizontal, left-falling, right-falling) and then add the 辶 radical last. Be careful that the 辶 wraps around the bottom of 大 neatly; a common mistake is making the 大 too wide or the 辶 too short.

达 contains 大 (big) inside 辶, while 巡 has 川 (river) and 边 has 力 (power). In meaning, 达 is about reaching or expressing, 巡 is about patrolling around, and 边 is about an edge or side. Visually, the inner part is the key difference.

达 appears in common words like 到达 (to arrive), 表达 (to express), and 达成 (to achieve an agreement). It is widely used in formal contexts, such as 达成共识 (to reach a consensus) in business or diplomacy.

Common words containing 达 include: 到达 (dào dá) — To arrive / To reach.; 表达 (biǎo dá) — to express; to convey (feelings or ideas); 达成 (dá chéng) — to reach (an agreement); to achieve.