How to Write 蹲 (dūn) — Meaning “to squat; to stay (somewhere)”

Imagine you are squatting (using your feet, 足) to show respect (尊) to someone important. The sound "dūn" can remind you of "done," as in you are done standing and now squat down.

Write the left radical 足 first with 7 strokes, then the right side 尊 with 12 strokes. Pay attention to the dot in the 寸 part at the bottom right, and avoid making the 足 too wide; keep the character balanced.

蹲 (dūn) means 'to squat' and has 尊 on the right. 蹇 (jiǎn) means 'lame' or 'difficult' and has 寒 (cold) on the right. 蹈 (dǎo) means 'to step on' or 'follow' and has 舀 (to scoop) on the right. Their pronunciations and meanings are completely different.

You use 蹲 for physically squatting: 蹲下 (to squat down) or 蹲着 (squatting). It also appears in 蹲坑 (to use a squat toilet), which is common in many public restrooms in China. Metaphorically, 蹲点 means to stay at a place for investigation.

Common words containing 蹲 include: 蹲下 (dūn xià) — to squat down; 蹲着 (dūn zhe) — squatting; 蹲坑 (dūn kēng) — to use a pit toilet; to squat over a hole.