How to Write 啖 (dàn) — Meaning “To eat; to chew; to bite”

Imagine putting a flame (炎) into your mouth (口) to eat something — but be careful, it's very hot! The pinyin 'dàn' sounds like 'done,' so you can think 'I'm done eating when I 啖.'

Write the left radical 口 first with 3 strokes, then the right part 炎 with 8 strokes. Make sure the two 火 characters in 炎 are stacked neatly, not too wide, and the top fire is slightly smaller than the bottom one.

啖 (dàn) uses 炎 (flame) and means 'to eat,' while 呲 (cī) has 此 (this) and means 'to scold' or a sound of teeth. 咠 (qì) has 耳 (ear) and means 'to whisper.' Visually, 啖 has two fires on the right, not 此 or 耳.

啖 is mostly found in classical or literary Chinese, not everyday conversation. You might see it in idioms like 啖以重利 (to tempt someone with big profits) or in historical texts meaning 'to eat heartily.'

Common words containing 啖 include: 啖食 (dàn shí) — To eat; to devour; 啖饭 (dàn fàn) — To eat a meal; 啖肉 (dàn ròu) — To eat meat.