坛 (tán) is a Chinese character meaning “a raised platform of earth (altar, flower bed)”. It is written from 土 (earth; soil) and 云 (cloud), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “raised platform; forum”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
土 + 云
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1–3 笔构成「土」，第 4–7 笔构成「云」，共 7 笔）
Memory aid
Earth (土) piled up until it reaches the clouds (云) — a raised platform you stand on to speak.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 花坛huā tánflower bed (a raised, edged planting bed)坛 = tán
- 论坛lùn tánforum (a public place or website for discussion)坛 = tán
Go deeper
All readings
raised platform; forum
a raised platform of earth (altar, flower bed); by extension, a forum or arena for a field of activity
用土筑起的高台，如祭坛、花坛；引申指某一领域的活动场所，如论坛、文坛。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 花坛huā tánflower bed (a raised, edged planting bed)坛 = tán
- 论坛lùn tánforum (a public place or website for discussion)坛 = tán
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 坛 mean?
坛 (tán) means a raised platform of earth (altar, flower bed); by extension, a forum or arena for a field of activity.
How do you pronounce 坛?
It is pronounced tán.
What parts is 坛 made of?
土 (earth; soil) and 云 (cloud), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1–3 笔构成「土」，第 4–7 笔构成「云」，共 7 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 坛 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 坛?
土. 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 坛?
Common ones are 花坛 and 论坛. The reading of 坛 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.