等 Stroke Order — How to Write 等
等 is written in 12 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical ⺮, then complete the remaining strokes.
Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.
等 Radical and Character Components
等 is an ideographic compound. Bamboo strips ⺮ laid before a court 寺.
Radical: ⺮ + 6 more strokes
等 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- děng
Meanings of 等 in Chinese
1
děng等
In ancient times, it referred to arranging bamboo slips (for writing or books) evenly or neatly.
匠人细心地等齐竹简，准备刻字
The craftsman carefully arranged the bamboo slips, preparing to carve characters.
To be equal to; to amount to.
三加二等于五。
Three plus two equals five.
Refers to a level, rank, or grade, indicating a standard or class.
这款产品的质量分为三个等级。
The quality of this product is divided into three grades.
Refers specifically to a step or level of a staircase.
这楼梯的等很高，爬起来有点吃力
The steps of this staircase are quite high, making it a bit strenuous to climb.
kind; sort; class (e.g., this kind of thing)
这等小事，我一个人就能搞定
I can handle this kind of small matter by myself.
Used to refer to multiple people of the same generation or group, similar to 'we/us' or 'you all/ye' (formal/slightly archaic).
我等皆是同学，理应互相帮助。
We are all classmates and should help each other.
Used at the end of a list to indicate that the enumeration is incomplete; 'etc.', 'and so on'.
商店里有各种水果，比如苹果、香蕉等。
The store has various fruits, such as apples, bananas, etc.
to wait for; to await
请等一下。
Please wait a moment.
Wait until; by the time (something happens).
等他下班，我们一起去吃饭吧。
Wait until he gets off work, then let's go eat together.
Historically, equivalent to '戥' (děng), meaning a small steelyard or to weigh with one.
旧时，金铺掌柜常以等为客称量零碎金银。
In olden times, goldsmiths often used a 'děng' (small steelyard) to weigh small pieces of gold and silver for customers.
Common Words and Phrases with 等
1
An equal-arm balance is a simple weighing scale where the distances from the central pivot to the two weighing pans are equal.
科学家们使用等臂天平精确测量了化学实验中试剂的质量。
Scientists used an equal-arm balance to precisely measure the mass of reagents in the chemistry experiment.
2
A geometric series, a series of the form a + ar + ar^2 + ar^3 + ...
数学课上，老师详细讲解了等比级数的求和公式及其应用
In math class, the teacher explained in detail the summation formula of geometric series and its applications.
3
An equilateral triangle is a triangle in which all three sides are equal in length.
老师在黑板上画了一个完美的等边三角形。
The teacher drew a perfect equilateral triangle on the blackboard.
4
Equal difference; common difference (in an arithmetic progression).
公司内部，不同岗位的员工薪资存在等差。
Within the company, employees in different positions have salary differences.
5
An arithmetic series is the sum of a sequence of numbers in which the difference between consecutive terms is constant.
数列2，5，8，11就是一个等差级数，它的公差是3。
The sequence 2, 5, 8, 11 is an arithmetic series, and its common difference is 3.
6
Level, grade, or rank, often referring to quality or position within a hierarchy.
这家商店的商品等次齐全，从经济型到高端产品都有。
This store offers a full range of product grades, from economic to high-end products.
7
To wait or await; to not take action until a desired person or event appears.
我们在这里等待公共汽车。
We are waiting for the bus here.
8
9
etc.; and so on; wait a minute; hold on
她喜欢在公园里跑步、散步、阅读等等。
She enjoys running, walking, reading, and so on in the park.
10
Of such a size; so big
会议讨论了成本、效率、市场竞争等地问题。
The meeting discussed issues such as cost, efficiency, market competition, and so on.
11
to be of a lower grade or quality; and so on downwards
这个品牌的旗舰产品质量上乘，但其经济型系列则等而下之，用料和工艺都有所缩水。
The flagship products of this brand are of superior quality, but its economy series is of a lower grade, with compromises in materials and craftsmanship.
12
to divide into equal parts
我们把披萨等分成六块，这样每个人都能吃到一样多。
We divided the pizza into six equal slices, so everyone could have the same amount.
13
A contour line; an imaginary line connecting points of equal elevation on a map or on the ground.
这张地图上的等高线清晰地显示了山坡的陡峭程度。
The contour lines on this map clearly show the steepness of the mountain slope.
14
The equal sign (=), a mathematical symbol used to denote equality or logical equivalence.
在数学中，加法运算的结果通常用等号连接。
In mathematics, the result of an addition operation is usually connected by an equals sign.
15
More words with 等
- bǐ彼děng等They
- chū初děng等Elementary; primary.
- jiǔ久děng等to wait for a long time
- jūn均děng等Equal, impartial, or fair.
- liè劣děng等Of inferior quality; low-grade.
- tè特děng等top grade
- yōu优děng等first-rate; excellent
- zuò坐děng等sit back and wait
- cì次děng等inferior, second-rate
- héng恒děng等identity, invariance
- píng平děng等equality
- tóu头děng等first-class; top-grade
- zhè这děng等Such; like this.
- dī低děng等lower, inferior
- hé何děng等How, What a
- liè躐děng等skip grades, skip rank
- pǐn品děng等Grade; quality level or standard
- èr二děng等second class, second grade
- jiǎn减děng等Downgrade, Reduce the level
- lì立děng等wait immediately; wait right away
Idioms with 等
- děng等jià价jiāo交huàn换equal value exchange
- děng等liàng量qí齐guān观treat as equals despite differences
- děng等mǐ米xià下guō锅waiting for money to buy food
- děng等xián闲rén人wù物insignificant ordinary people
- děng等xián闲shì视zhī之treat as unimportant
- děng等xián闲zhī之bèi辈an ordinary person of no importance
- děng等xián闲zhī之rén人an ordinary or unimportant person
- dī低rén人yī一děng等inferior to others
- fēi非tóng同děng等xián闲not to be treated lightly
- gāo高rén人yī一děng等to be superior to others
- gè各sè色rén人děng等all sorts of people
- nán男nǚ女píng平děng等equality between men and women
Recommended tools
Character Highlight Animator
Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
Open the tool →
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →
Writing Worksheets
Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
Open the tool →Questions about 等
What does 等 mean in Chinese?
等 (děng) means “In ancient times” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 等?
等 is pronounced děng in Mandarin Chinese.
How many strokes does 等 have?
等 has 12 strokes.
How do you write 等?
等 is written in 12 strokes, starting from the radical ⺮. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 等?
The radical of 等 is ⺮, and 等 is an ideographic compound.
