淡 Stroke Order — How to Write 淡
淡 is written in 11 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 氵, 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.
淡 Radical and Character Components
淡 is a phono-semantic compound: 氵 (water) carries the meaning, while 炎 indicates the sound.
Radical: 氵 + 8 more strokes
淡 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- dàn
Meanings of 淡 in Chinese
1
dàn淡
Low in salt; bland; fresh (water), opposite of 'salty'.
这湖里的水是淡水，可以饮用
The water in this lake is fresh water and can be drunk.
Light, weak, or low in concentration (opposite of '浓'); subtle; faint; delicate.
她喜欢穿颜色淡雅的衣服。
She likes to wear clothes with subtle and elegant colors.
To be indifferent, unconcerned, or detached, often towards worldly matters like fame, wealth, or strong emotions, leading to a calm or apathetic state.
他对名利一向淡泊，过着简朴的生活。
He has always been indifferent to fame and wealth, living a simple life.
Business is not thriving; slow or slack season, like 'off-season' (淡季).
商店在淡季里营业很淡。
Business at the shop is very slow during the off-season.
Irrelevant or nonsensical; trivial talk.
你别再扯淡了，说点正经事吧。
Stop talking nonsense; let's discuss something serious.
Common Words and Phrases with 淡
1
Indifferent to fame and wealth; content with a simple life.
她性情淡泊，从不追求虚华，只专注于内心的宁静与成长。
She has a quiet and unassuming nature, never pursuing superficial grandeur, but focusing solely on inner peace and personal growth.
2
To be thin, light, or weak; faint or vague (e.g., a memory); indifferent or aloof (e.g., feelings); or meager/poor (e.g., a living).
他一直过着淡薄名利的生活，专注于自己的爱好。
He has always led a life unconcerned with fame and fortune, focusing instead on his own hobbies.
3
Live a simple life to clarify one's ambition.
他从小就立志要成为一名科学家，深知只有淡泊明志，才能专注于学术研究，最终取得突破。
He aspired to be a scientist from a young age, deeply understanding that only by living a simple and unassuming life, detached from worldly fame and material pursuits, could he focus on academic research and ultimately achieve breakthroughs.
4
Light; faint; subtle; indistinct.
空气中弥漫着淡淡的花香，让人感到心旷神怡。
A faint floral fragrance permeated the air, making one feel refreshed and joyful.
5
To weaken or reduce the intensity, importance, or concentration of something.
她试图淡化会议上出现的分歧，以便达成共识。
She tried to downplay the disagreements that arose in the meeting to reach a consensus.
6
Nonsense; trivial or unimportant talk.
他们俩总是喜欢在一起说些淡话，打发时间。
They always like to chat idly together to pass the time.
7
Off-peak season; a period when business is slow or activity is reduced.
在旅游淡季，酒店的房价通常会便宜一些。
During the tourism off-season, hotel prices are usually a bit cheaper.
8
Indifferent, apathetic; faint or dim.
他对周围发生的一切都表现出一种淡漠的态度。
He showed an indifferent attitude towards everything happening around him.
9
indifferent and unconcerned
面对突如其来的变故，他表现得非常淡然，仿佛一切都在意料之中。
Facing the sudden change, he remained remarkably composed, as if everything was within his expectation.
10
food with little or no salt; light food
为了保持健康，医生建议她多吃淡食。
To maintain her health, the doctor advised her to eat more unsalted food.
11
Freshwater refers to water that contains very low concentrations of dissolved salts, as opposed to saltwater.
鱼缸里需要淡水来养金鱼。
Freshwater is needed in the fish tank to raise goldfish.
12
A fish that lives in freshwater.
许多人在周末喜欢去湖边钓淡水鱼。
Many people like to go to the lake to fish for freshwater fish on weekends.
13
To fade from memory; to gradually forget.
随着时间的流逝，痛苦的回忆会逐渐淡忘。
As time passes, painful memories will gradually fade from memory.
14
simple but elegant; light and delicate (of scent)
她偏爱那些设计简洁、色彩淡雅的连衣裙。
She prefers dresses with simple designs and understated, elegant colors.
15
Slack month; off-peak month; month with slow business.
这家咖啡馆在淡月时段会调整营业时间以节省成本。
This coffee shop adjusts its operating hours during off-peak months to save costs.
16
More words with 淡
- lěng冷dàn淡Indifferent, Aloof
- àn暗dàn淡dim, dull
- cǎn惨dàn淡Bleak, dismal, or desolate.
- chě扯dàn淡to talk nonsense; nonsense
- chōng冲dàn淡dilute, weaken
- guǎ寡dàn淡bland, dull
- qīng轻dàn淡Light, Mild
- shū疏dàn淡sparse, light
- tián恬dàn淡Tranquil, Peaceful
- yǎ雅dàn淡Simple and elegant
- nóng浓dàn淡Shade; depth or lightness of color.
- sù素dàn淡simple, plain
- píng平dàn淡dull, bland
- hán涵dàn淡subtle and restrained, understated
- kǒu口dàn淡bland taste, tastelessness
- qiǎn浅dàn淡light, pale
- dàn淡jiǔ酒light wine, weak wine
- qīng清dàn淡light, mild
- dàn淡dìng定Calm, Composed
- dàn淡mò墨light ink, faint ink
Idioms with 淡
- dàn淡ér而bù不yàn厌detached but not repelled
- dàn淡ér而wú无wèi味bland and uninteresting
- dàn淡rán然chǔ处zhī之treat with indifference
- dàn淡shuǐ水jiāo交qing情pure friendship like water
- dàn淡zhuāng妆nóng浓mǒ抹light or heavy makeup
- àn暗dàn淡wú无guāng光dim and lusterless
- àn黯dàn淡wú无guāng光dim and lusterless
- bù不xián咸bù不dàn淡plain, ordinary, or sarcastic
- cǎn惨dàn淡jīng经yíng营struggle to maintain an enterprise
- chóu愁yún云cǎn惨dàn淡gloomy and depressing atmosphere
- cū粗chá茶dàn淡fàn饭live a simple and frugal life
- cū粗yī衣dàn淡fàn饭live a simple and frugal life
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Open the tool →Questions about 淡
What does 淡 mean in Chinese?
淡 (dàn) means “Low in salt” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 淡?
淡 is pronounced dàn in Mandarin Chinese.
How many strokes does 淡 have?
淡 has 11 strokes.
How do you write 淡?
淡 is written in 11 strokes, starting from the radical 氵. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 淡?
The radical of 淡 is 氵, and 淡 is a phono-semantic compound.
