How to Write 贷 (dài) — Meaning “Loan; borrow”

Imagine a shell (贝) representing money that you take as a substitute (代) from a bank. Visualize a friend saying, "Please take this shell on my behalf (代) and return it later" — this reminds you that 贷 means 'loan' or 'borrow'.

Write the top part 代 first — the first horizontal stroke should be slightly longer than the one below. Then write the bottom 贝, which is narrower than the 代 above; the last stroke of 贝 has a small hook to the left. A common mistake is making the 贝 too wide or forgetting the hook.

贷 has 贝 on the bottom and 代 above, meaning 'loan' or 'borrow' — it involves temporarily using money. 贡 has 贝 on the top and 工 below, meaning 'tribute' or 'contribute' — giving money to a higher authority. 财 has 贝 on the left and 才 on the right, meaning 'wealth' or 'money' in general.

贷 appears in words like 贷款 (dài kuǎn, loan or mortgage) and 信贷 (xìn dài, credit). It is commonly used in banking and finance, such as when applying for a home or car loan. Culturally, while Chinese people traditionally prefer saving, 贷款 has become normal for major purchases in recent decades.

Common words containing 贷 include: 贷款 (dài kuǎn) — Loan; to provide a loan; 借贷 (jiè dài) — borrow or lend / credit / loan; 信贷 (xìn dài) — credit; loan.