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盤 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
盤pántray, plate, dish; to examinex, 15 strokes, radical 皿
pán(pan2)pan T2
  1. 1tray, plate, dish; to examine
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March 24, 2026

盤pán(pan2)

The character 盤 (pán) primarily refers to a tray, plate, or dish used to hold food or serve items. It can also mean to examine or inspect something carefully, often in a figurative sense, as in scrutinizing details.

Strokes15Radical皿
Cultural note

In Chinese culture, serving food on a 盤 is a significant part of hospitality. The way food is presented on trays or plates can reflect the host’s consideration and respect for the guests.

Memory tip

Imagine a large, round tray (盤) filled with delicious food, where ‘pán’ sounds like 'pan' in English, which is also a type of dish. Picture yourself examining the tray closely to decide which food to take first, linking the character's form and meaning through this imagery.

Meanings of 盤

pán(pan2)
1tray, plate, dish; to examine
Exercise 1 of 2

By ear

Play it, then pick what 盤 means.

About 盤

盤Simplified
15Strokes
皿Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 盤

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Podcast: 盤

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AI study notes for 盤

Quick Contrast

盘 (pán, tray) vs 碟 (dié, small plate) — use 盘 for larger serving trays, while 碟 refers specifically to smaller, often individual plates.

Usage Notes

Be mindful of the context when using 盤; it is primarily used in culinary settings or when discussing food presentation. Common collocations include 盤子 (pánzi), meaning 'plate,' and 盤點 (pándiǎn), meaning 'to check or examine.' Avoid confusing it with 盘问 (pánwèn), which means 'to interrogate,' as the nuances differ.

HSK Study Tips

Although 盤 is not included in the official HSK levels, it connects with other food-related vocabulary and concepts of examination. Focus on the radicals; the left side indicates a container, which can help relate it to food and serving concepts in your studies.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 盤 with 盘子 and use it interchangeably, leading to sentences like '我有一个盘子' (Wǒ yǒu yī gè pán), which should instead specify '盤' if referring to a tray. Additionally, mixing up its meanings in context can lead to misunderstandings.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 盤

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Etymology of 盤

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

Simplified form of 盤. Phonosemantic compound. 皿 represents the meaning and 般 represents the sound.

Memory hint

dish

Semantic (meaning)皿
+
Phonetic (sound)般
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Origin

盤 = 皿 + 般. What kind of character does that make it?

Decomposition of 盤

IDS Structure⿱般皿
盤Full character
=
般ban1
top
皿min3
bottom
Exercise 1 of 2

Parts

Which of these is part of 盤?

How to say tray, plate, dish; to examine in Chinese

“tray, plate, dish; to examine” in Chinese is盤pán

The character 盤 (pán) primarily refers to a tray, plate, or dish used to hold food or serve items. It can also mean to examine or inspect something carefully, often in a figurative sense, as in scrutinizing details.

When to use 盤

Be mindful of the context when using 盤; it is primarily used in culinary settings or when discussing food presentation. Common collocations include 盤子 (pánzi), meaning 'plate,' and 盤點 (pándiǎn), meaning 'to check or examine.' Avoid confusing it with 盘问 (pánwèn), which means 'to interrogate,' as the nuances differ.

盤 or something close to it

盘 (pán, tray) vs 碟 (dié, small plate) — use 盘 for larger serving trays, while 碟 refers specifically to smaller, often individual plates.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 盤 with 盘子 and use it interchangeably, leading to sentences like '我有一个盘子' (Wǒ yǒu yī gè pán), which should instead specify '盤' if referring to a tray. Additionally, mixing up its meanings in context can lead to misunderstandings.

Write 盤

盤

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

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Word Family of 盤

Words containing this character20
盘pánplate盤
地盘domain地盤
盘子pánzitray盤子
硬盘yìngpánhard disk硬盤
键盘jiànpánkeyboard鍵盤
收盘market close收盤
盘问to interrogate盤問
方向盘fāngxiàngpánsteering wheel方向盤
开盘to commence trading (stock market)開盤
盘旋pánxuánto spiral盤旋
光盘guāngpáncompact disc光盤
全盘overall全盤
转盘turntable轉盤
底盘chassis底盤
盘算pánsuanto plot盤算
胎盘placenta胎盤
棋盘chessboard棋盤
盘点to take stock盤點
收盘价closing price (of share, commodity etc)收盤價
托盘tray托盤
Exercise 1 of 4

Characters with 盤

What does 盘 mean?

Frequently asked questions about 盤

You can say '请把菜放在盘里' (Qǐng bǎ cài fàng zài pán lǐ), meaning 'Please put the food on the plate.'

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