淡
light, tasteless
At a glance · 淡
Evolution of the glyph
Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.
Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE
⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.
淡字小篆从水炎声，为形声字；本义为味薄、不浓。甲骨文未见。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
淡本义为味淡、稀薄，引申为平淡。
Structure
形声字，左部『水』为意符，右部『炎』为声符。
At a glance
Pinyindàn
Radical氵
Strokes11
UnicodeU+6DE1
Character type形声
Theme状态
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
light, tasteless
Dan is a phonetic-semantic character meaning watery, light and tasteless.
Français
léger, insipide
Dan est un caractère phonético-sémantique signifiant peu concentré, léger et insipide.
Español
débil, insípido
Dan es un carácter fonosemántico que significa poco concentrado, leve e insípido.
العربية
خفيف، بلا طعم
دان حرف صوتي دلالي يعني مخففاً وبدون طعم.
Русский
пресный, блёклый
Дань — фоносемантический знак, означающий жидкий, слабый и безвкусный.
Common words
- 平淡píng dànplain
- 淡水dàn shuǐfresh water