How to Write 萏 (dàn) — Meaning “lotus bud”

Imagine a lotus bud (艹) opening up like a tiny mouth saying "dàn" — the bottom part looks like a curved mouth or a small container. Think of "dan" as the sound a bud makes when it begins to bloom. This visual link helps you associate the plant radical with the sound and meaning.

Pay attention to the bottom part 臽: it has a long horizontal stroke at the top, then a small box-like 臼 shape, and a final horizontal stroke at the bottom. A common mistake is to write the bottom part too wide or to confuse it with 舀 (yǎo). The entire character should be balanced with the grass radical on top covering about one-third of the height.

萏 (dàn) means lotus bud and contains the phonetic 臽, while 兹 (zī or cí) means this/now and has a top of 䒑 and bottom 糸. 苧 (zhù) means ramie (a plant) and has a bottom of 宁. Visually, 萏's bottom is box-like (臽), 兹's bottom is thread-like (糸), and 苧's bottom has a vertical hook (宁). Each has a distinct plant-related meaning.

萏 is almost never used alone; it appears only in the compound 菡萏 (hàn dàn), which means lotus flower and is a literary, poetic term. In classical Chinese poetry, 菡萏 evokes elegance and purity. You will not find it in daily conversation or HSK vocabulary, but it enriches your appreciation of traditional Chinese culture and nature imagery.

Common words containing 萏 include: 菡萏 (hàn dàn) — Lotus flower; 萏萏 (dàn dàn) — blooming; flourishing; 菡萏香 (hàn dàn xiāng) — Lotus fragrance.