How to Write 耑 (duān) — Meaning “Origin / End / Upright”

Imagine a mountain (山) sitting on top of a beard (而). The mountain represents the high "end" of a journey, while the beard shows the "origin" of hair growth—this helps link to both "end" and "origin."

Write the top part (similar to 山) first: vertical, horizontal, vertical, then horizontal. The bottom part 而 is wider, so the top should be narrower. A common mistake is making the top too wide or mixing up the strokes of 而.

耑 has a mountain-like top above 而, while 耍 has 而 above 女 (woman) and means "to play." 耐 is left-right: 而 on the left and 寸 on the right, meaning "to endure." They look different in structure and have unrelated meanings.

耑 is quite rare and mostly appears in formal or classical writing, such as in letters with 耑此 (specially for this purpose) or 耑正 (upright/regular). It is an older character, and most modern uses have been replaced by 端.

Common words containing 耑 include: 耑此 (duān cǐ) — Specially for this purpose (used in letters); 耑正 (duān zhèng) — Upright / Regular; 耑委 (duān wěi) — The beginning and the end / Details.