How to Write 档 (dǎng/dàng) — Meaning “File / Grade / Level”

Imagine a wooden shelf (木) where you sort papers into different piles based on their importance—this is like "danging" them into grades. The right side 当 looks like a small shelf with a box below, reinforcing the idea of organizing files by level.

The left radical 木 must be written with the vertical stroke passing through the horizontal, and the two outer strokes should spread out evenly. A common mistake is making the right part 当 too wide or too tall—keep its top small and the bottom "口" (mouth) balanced.

档 has the wood radical on the left but the right side is 当, while 杪 has a different right part (少) meaning "tip of a branch" and is rarely used. 杭 has 亢 on the right and refers to a place name or to sail a boat, so they share no meaning with 档's ideas of files or grades.

档 appears in important words like 档案 (dàng àn, archives/records) and 档次 (dàng cì, grade/quality level). In Chinese offices, 档案 refers to official documents stored for years, and 档次 is often used when talking about product quality or social class.

Common words containing 档 include: 档案 (dàng àn) — Archives / Files / Records; 档次 (dàng cì) — Grade / Quality / Class; 存档 (cún dàng) — to archive; to file.