How to Write 礅 (dūn) — Meaning “stone block; pier”

Imagine a heavy stone block (石) that is used to support a bridge, and it is so sturdy that it "duns" (sounds like dūn) into the ground. You can picture a stone pier holding up a bridge, and the word "dūn" sounds like "done" — once it is placed, the foundation is done.

Pay attention to the right side 敦: it has 攵 (the 'knock' component) at the end, not 又. A common mistake is to write the left radical 石 too small or too large — keep it balanced so the character is not lopsided. Also, ensure the bottom stroke of 石 is a horizontal line, not a slanted one.

礅 specifically means a stone block or pier, like a bridge pier. 碾 (niǎn) means a stone roller or to grind, and is used for milling or crushing. 磅 (bàng) means pound (weight) or a platform scale, and is also a phonetic loan. Visually, 礅 has 敦 on the right, while 碾 has 展 on the right and 磅 has 旁 on the right.

礅 appears in practical contexts like construction and infrastructure, such as 桥礅 (bridge pier) and 石礅 (stone pedestal). You might see it in descriptions of ancient architecture or public parks where stone seats are called 礅子. It is not a common daily character but is useful for describing heavy stone objects.

Common words containing 礅 include: 石礅 (shí dūn) — stone pedestal; 桥礅 (qiáo dūn) — Bridge pier; 礅子 (dūn zi) — stone block; stone seat.