呆 (dāi) is a Chinese character meaning “blank”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 木 (tree; wood), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “blank; dazed”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
口 + 木
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: modern-shape decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data stroke counts (3 + 4 = 7)
Memory aid
An open mouth (口) sitting on top of a tree (木): you stare up at it, mouth hanging open, and just go blank.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 发呆fā dāito stare blankly; to daydream呆 = dāi
- 呆子dāi zia fool; a simpleton呆 = dāi
Go deeper
All readings
blank; to stay
blank; dazed; slow-witted; also: to stay put, to stay somewhere
反应慢、发愣的样子；也表示停留在某处不动。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 发呆fā dāito stare blankly; to daydream呆 = dāi
- 呆子dāi zia fool; a simpleton呆 = dāi
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 呆 mean?
呆 (dāi) means blank; dazed; slow-witted; also: to stay put, to stay somewhere.
How do you pronounce 呆?
It is pronounced dāi.
What parts is 呆 made of?
口 (mouth) and 木 (tree; wood), one above the other. The recorded source is: modern-shape decomposition verified against hanzi-writer-data stroke counts (3 + 4 = 7). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 呆 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 呆?
口. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 呆?
Common ones are 发呆 and 呆子. The reading of 呆 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.