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憚 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
憚dànto fear, to dread; to dislike, to avoidzg, 15 strokes, radical 忄
dàn(dan4) T4
  1. 1to fear, to dread; to dislike, to avoid
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March 24, 2026

憚dàn(dan4)

The character 憚 (dàn) signifies feelings of fear, dread, or strong dislike towards something. It is often used in contexts where one wishes to express aversion or a desire to avoid a particular situation or person, indicating a psychological barrier or emotional discomfort.

Strokes15Radical忄
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, expressing fear or dread can be seen as a sign of vulnerability, so it might be more common to use euphemisms or softer expressions in social contexts. The character is linked to traditional Chinese literature, where characters often confront their fears.

Memory Tip

Imagine a person standing at the edge of a dark, scary abyss, their heart pounding with dread (憚). The character has the radical 忄 (heart), which symbolizes emotions. The sound 'dàn' can be remembered as 'dread'—both evoke a sense of fear.

Meanings of 憚

dàn(dan4)
1to fear, to dread; to dislike, to avoid
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 憚

憚Simplified
15Strokes
忄Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 憚

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Podcast: 憚

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AI Study Notes for 憚

Quick Contrast

惧 (jù) - use 憚 (dàn) when expressing a more nuanced emotional aversion or discomfort rather than just fear.

Usage Notes

This character is more formal and may not be commonly used in everyday conversation. Learners should note that it often appears in literary or elevated contexts, and collocations include phrases like '憚于' (dàn yú) meaning 'to fear' or 'to hesitate'. Pay attention to pronunciation, as confusing it with similar-sounding words could alter the intended meaning.

HSK Study Tips

Although 憚 is not included in the HSK levels, it relates to words expressing emotions found in HSK 4 and above. Students should focus on understanding emotional vocabulary and its nuances in context to enhance their expressive capabilities.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 憚 with similar characters like 怕 (pà, to be afraid) due to their overlapping meanings. For example, saying '我憚这件事' (Wǒ dàn zhè jiàn shì) instead of '我怕这件事' (Wǒ pà zhè jiàn shì) can sound overly formal or literary.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 憚

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Etymology of 憚

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 忄 represents the meaning and 单 represents the sound. Simplified form of 憚.

Memory Hint

heart

Semantic (meaning)忄
+
Phonetic (sound)單
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 憚

Phonosemantic compound. 忄 represents the meaning and 单 represents the sound. Simplified form of 憚.

  1. 1The meaning half忄 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half單 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawayheart
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 憚? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 憚?

Decomposition of 憚

IDS Structure⿰忄單
憚Full Character
=
忄xin1
left
單dan1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 憚?

How to say to fear, to dread; to dislike, to avoid in Chinese

“to fear, to dread; to dislike, to avoid” in Chinese is憚dàn

The character 憚 (dàn) signifies feelings of fear, dread, or strong dislike towards something. It is often used in contexts where one wishes to express aversion or a desire to avoid a particular situation or person, indicating a psychological barrier or emotional discomfort.

When to use 憚

This character is more formal and may not be commonly used in everyday conversation. Learners should note that it often appears in literary or elevated contexts, and collocations include phrases like '憚于' (dàn yú) meaning 'to fear' or 'to hesitate'. Pay attention to pronunciation, as confusing it with similar-sounding words could alter the intended meaning.

憚 or something close to it

惧 (jù) - use 憚 (dàn) when expressing a more nuanced emotional aversion or discomfort rather than just fear.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 憚 with similar characters like 怕 (pà, to be afraid) due to their overlapping meanings. For example, saying '我憚这件事' (Wǒ dàn zhè jiàn shì) instead of '我怕这件事' (Wǒ pà zhè jiàn shì) can sound overly formal or literary.

Write 憚

憚

Practice writing 憚 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 憚

Words Containing This Character3
肆无忌惮sìwújìdànunbridled肆無忌憚
忌惮restraining fear忌憚
惮dàndread憚
Exercise 1 of 3

Compound Meaning

What does 肆无忌惮 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 憚

憚 refers to a general fear or aversion, while 恐惧 specifically means 'to fear or be terrified of' something.

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