How to Write 盏 (zhǎn) — Meaning “small cup / (measure word for lamps)”

Imagine a tiny cup (皿) that can only hold a small (戋) amount of liquid. The pinyin zhǎn sounds like "jan" in "January,” so picture a small cup of tea you drink in the cold January weather.

Start with the top component 戋: write the two horizontal lines, then the slanted stroke, then the final dot. The bottom part 皿 has a wide horizontal stroke at the bottom as the last stroke. A common mistake is making the top 戋 too large or mixing up the slanted stroke direction.

Both 盏 and 盂 contain the radical 皿, but 盂 has the phonetic component 于 (yú) and means a broad-mouthed basin or bowl. 盏 (zhǎn) is smaller, used for cups or lamps, and has 戋 on top. Visually, 盂 has a simpler top part with a horizontal and a vertical curve.

As a measure word, 盏 is used for lamps, as in 一盏灯 (yī zhǎn dēng, "a lamp"). It also appears in words like 酒盏 (jiǔ zhǎn, "wine cup") and 茶盏 (chá zhǎn, "tea cup"), often in literary or traditional contexts such as tea ceremonies and classical poetry.

Common words containing 盏 include: 一盏灯 (yī zhǎn dēng) — a lamp; 酒盏 (jiǔ zhǎn) — Wine cup / Goblet; 茶盏 (chá zhǎn) — tea cup / tea bowl.