弹 dàn / tán — crossball; bullet; shot; shell; ball; impeach
他会弹钢琴。Tā huì tán gāng qín.He can play the piano.
Common words: 子弹 (zǐ dàn)、炸弹 (zhà dàn)、导弹 (dǎo dàn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "shell"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "shell", including 弹 (dàn / tán), 贝 (bèi), 壳 (ké / qiào), 壳 (ké / qiào). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "shell" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 弹 (dàn / tán), 贝 (bèi), 壳 (ké / qiào), 壳 (ké / qiào) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span dàn, tán, bèi, ké, qiào — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 弹 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 弹 dàn / táncrossball; bullet; shot; shell; ball; impeachUseful words: 子弹, 炸弹
- 贝 bèicowries; shell; valuables; shellfishUseful words: 宝贝, 贝壳
- 壳 ké / qiàoshell; shellUseful words: 贝壳, 地壳
- 壳 ké / qiàoshell; shellUseful words: 贝壳, 地壳
Common words for these 4 "shell" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 弹 (dàn / tán) — so "shell" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
子弹zǐ dànbullet炸弹zhà dànbomb导弹dǎo dàn(guided) missile宝贝bǎo bèitreasured object; treasure; darling; baby贝壳bèi késhell (of a mollusk)贝多bèi duōpattra palm tree (loan from Sanskrit, Corypha umbraculifera), whose leaves were used as paper substitute for Buddhist sutras贝壳bèi késhell (of a mollusk)地壳dì qiàothe Earth's crust机壳jī qiàocase, casing, cabinet or housing (of a computer, photocopier etc)贝壳bèi késhell (of a mollusk)
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "shell".
贝 bèi — cowries; shell; valuables; shellfish
沙滩上有许多漂亮的贝壳。Shā tān shàng yǒu xǔ duō piào liang de bèi ké.There are many beautiful seashells on the beach.
Common words: 宝贝 (bǎo bèi)、贝壳 (bèi ké)、贝多 (bèi duō)
壳 ké / qiào — shell; shell
小乌龟把头缩进了硬硬的壳里。Xiǎo wū guī bǎ tóu suō jìn le yìng yìng de ké lǐ.The little turtle drew its head into its hard shell.
Common words: 贝壳 (bèi ké)、地壳 (dì qiào)、机壳 (jī qiào)
壳 ké / qiào — shell; shell
小乌龟把头缩进了硬硬的壳里。Xiǎo wū guī bǎ tóu suō jìn le yìng yìng de ké lǐ.The little turtle drew its head into its hard shell.
Common words: 贝壳 (bèi ké)、地壳 (dì qiào)、机壳 (jī qiào)
All 4 characters
Open 弹、贝、壳 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.