Meaning
chieftain; bill; list; form; single; only
Chinese: 单独、简单；也指单据、名单。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “dan” becomes a different word in each tone. 单 is the 1st tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.
Stroke Order
Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.
Common Words
- 名单míng dānlist of names
- 单位dān wèiunit (of measure); unit (group of people as a whole); work unit (place of employment, esp. in the PRC prior to economic reform)
- 菜单cài dānmenu
- 简单jiǎn dānsimple; not complicated
- 单元dān yuánunit (forming an entity); element; (in a residential building) entrance or staircase
Example Sentence
请把名单交给老师。Qǐng bǎ míng dān jiāo gěi lǎo shī.Please hand the name list to the teacher.
请Qǐngto ask把bǎ(marks the object)名单míng dānlist of names交给jiāo gěito give老师lǎo shīteacher。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
Simplified from 單. It means ‘single, one, sole; odd (number); simple; thin (of clothes/bedding); a list, bill, form’ (单独, 简单, 名单).
A way to remember it
‘Single / simple / a list’: 单独 (alone), 简单 (simple), 名单 (a list).