How to Write 滩 (tān) — Meaning “beach; shoal; sands”

Imagine water (氵) meeting a difficult (难) terrain — that forms a beach where walking on sand feels hard. Picture yourself struggling to walk on a sandy beach, and remember "water + difficult = beach."

The left water radical 氵 should be written as three narrow drops, aligned vertically. The right side 难 has nine strokes: start with 又, then add 隹; make sure the left side does not become too wide. A common mistake is making the right side too large, which unbalances the whole character.

滩 (beach) is common in everyday words like 沙滩 and has a clear water-related meaning. 涪 is very rare, used only in the river name 涪江, and 涫 is an ancient term for "spring" or "boiling water" — you will almost never encounter them. So focus on 滩 for beach and riverbank contexts.

滩 is used to describe beaches, riverbanks, and shoals, such as in 沙滩 (sand beach), 海滩 (seaside beach), and 河滩 (river floodplain). Culturally, it appears in famous place names like 外滩 (The Bund) in Shanghai, a historic waterfront area popular with tourists.

Common words containing 滩 include: 沙滩 (shā tān) — Beach; 海滩 (hǎi tān) — Beach; 河滩 (hé tān) — river beach; flood plain.