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How to Write 蛋 (dàn) — Meaning “egg”

dàn HSK Level 1 11 strokes Radical: 虫

蛋 (dàn) means "egg" in Chinese. It has 11 strokes with the radical 虫, and is HSK Level 1.

Rated 3.7/5 in difficulty (challenging).

Harder than 97% of HSK Level 1 characters.

Appears in 3+ common words including 鸡蛋 (jī dàn), 蛋糕 (dàn gāo), 坏蛋 (huài dàn).

Due to its 11 strokes, Hanzi Writer's error detection shows 蛋 requires focused practice — most learners need 10+ attempts for consistent accuracy.

Stroke order practice for 蛋 - dàn

Practice Writing 蛋 (dàn)

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How to Write 蛋

The character 蛋 (dàn) is written with 11 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 虫 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does dàn (蛋) Mean in Chinese?

蛋 means egg.

As an HSK Level 1 character, 蛋 is among the first characters beginners learn.

Character Data

Character蛋
Pinyindàn (dan)
Meaningegg
Strokes11
Radical虫
HSK Level1
Difficulty3.7/5

Origin of 蛋

The character 蛋 is a compound with the radical 虫 (chóng, insect/reptile) and the component 疋 (pǐ), which originally depicted a foot or step. This combination suggests the eggs laid by crawling creatures such as insects or reptiles.

💡 Memory Tip: Picture a cracked eggshell (疋) with an insect (虫) emerging from it—that's a 蛋 (egg).

Common Words with 蛋

鸡蛋 jī dàn
Egg
蛋糕 dàn gāo
cake
坏蛋 huài dàn
Bad egg; scoundrel.

Example Sentences

我想吃鸡蛋。

wǒ xiǎng chī jī dàn

I want to eat eggs.

生日要吃蛋糕。

shēng rì yào chī dàn gāo

One should eat cake on their birthday.

他是个大坏蛋。

tā shì gè dà huài dàn

He is a big villain.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character Pinyin Strokes Radical
蛋 (current) dàn 11 虫
虹 hóng 9 虫
虺 huī 9 虫
虻 méng 9 虫
Stroke order practice for 蛋 - dàn

Practice Writing 蛋 (dàn)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 蛋 with real-time feedback.

✨ Animated stroke order · Handwriting recognition · HSK-graded practice · Free to use

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Frequently Asked Questions about 蛋

蛋 is a top-bottom character. The top part is 疋 (shū), which originally meant 'foot' but here acts as a phonetic component, and the bottom is 虫 (chóng, insect). Since insects lay eggs, the insect radical gives a clue that 蛋 refers to eggs, especially small ones.

More HSK Level 1 Characters

爱ài好hǎo/hào八bā爸bà吧ba/bā白bái天tiān百bǎi班bān半bàn年nián帮bāng忙máng包bāo子zi/zǐ杯bēi北běi边biān京jīng本běn

Characters with Radical 虫

虫chóng虬qiú虮jǐ虰dīng虱shī虹hóng虺huī虻méng虼gè虽suī

Other 11-Stroke Characters

㒼mán䙴qiān乿zhì偃yǎn假jiǎ/jià偈jì偎wēi偏piān偕xié做zuò