How to Write 敦 (dūn) — Meaning “honest / sincere / to urge”

Picture a person (享 looks like a tall building) being gently pushed (攵) by a friend to remind them to be honest. The combination suggests an honest urging, helping you recall both the appearance and the meaning of 敦.

Write the left part 享 first: dot, horizontal, then the box with two horizontal strokes inside, and a final horizontal. The right part 攵 is written with a left-falling stroke, then a horizontal, and a right-falling stroke. A common mistake is making the left part too narrow or forgetting the dot on top of 享.

效 (xiào, to imitate) has 交 (cross) on the left instead of 享, and means to copy or show effect. 敉 (mǐ, to soothe) has 米 (rice) on the left and means to pacify. Visually, 享 (with a dot and box) is distinct from 交 (cross shape) and 米 (rice grains), so focus on the left side to tell them apart.

敦 appears in words like 伦敦 (London), 敦促 (to urge), and 敦厚 (honest and kind). It is common in formal or written language, especially to describe sincerity (敦厚) or a polite push (敦促). Culturally, 敦 implies a gentle, respectful urging rather than forceful pressure.

Common words containing 敦 include: 伦敦 (lún dūn) — London.; 敦促 (dūn cù) — to urge / to press; 敦厚 (dūn hòu) — honest and kind / sincere.