How to Write 踮 (diǎn) — Meaning “to stand on tiptoe”

Imagine you are at a store (店) and you stand on tiptoe (足) to see an item on a high shelf. The sound "diǎn" also sounds like "point" — you point your toes upward to reach higher.

Keep the left radical 足 narrow and the right part 店 wider. A common mistake is making the radical too wide, which throws off the balance. Also, remember to write the small dot on top of 店 clearly.

跟 (gēn) means "heel" and is used for the back part of the foot, while 踮 specifically means to raise your heels off the ground. 䠀 is a rare character and not commonly used in modern Chinese. Visually, 踮 has 店 on the right, 跟 has 艮, and 䠀 has a different right component.

You use 踮 to describe the action of standing on tiptoe, for example "踮脚看" (diǎn jiǎo kàn) means to stand on tiptoe to see something. It appears in everyday situations like reaching for a high object or peeking over a crowd. Although not in HSK, it is a practical word for describing precise body movements.

Common words containing 踮 include: 踮脚 (diǎn jiǎo) — to stand on tiptoe; 踮起 (diǎn qǐ) — to lift up (heels) to stand on tiptoe; 踮着 (diǎn zhe) — standing on tiptoe.