带 (dài) is a Chinese character meaning “a belt or band”. It is written from 卅 (thirty; here just the shape of three uprights crossing one bar) and 冖 (cover) and 巾 (cloth), and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “belt; to bring along”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
卅 + 冖 + 巾
Top–middle–bottom structure
- 卅 thirty; here just the shape of three uprights crossing one bar · sà unknown
- 冖 cover · mì unknown
- 巾 cloth · jīn unknown
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（比对 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺：上部 4 笔为卅形，中部 2 笔为冖，下部 3 笔为巾）
Memory aid
Three uprights across a bar (卅), a cover (冖) laid over them, and a piece of cloth (巾) hanging underneath — a cloth belt hung up on a rack. All three parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 皮带pí dàileather belt带 = dài
- 带来dài láito bring (something or some result) along带 = dài
- 捎带shāo dàito take along incidentally; to do in passing带 = dài
- 绷带bēng dàibandage带 = dài
- 胶带jiāo dàiadhesive tape带 = dài
- 脐带qí dàiumbilical cord带 = dài
Go deeper
All readings
belt; to bring
a belt or band; a zone or strip; to carry or bring something along; to lead or take someone with you
腰带、带子一类的长条物；也指随身拿着、领着，或某个狭长的地区。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 皮带pí dàileather belt带 = dài
- 带来dài láito bring (something or some result) along带 = dài
- 捎带shāo dàito take along incidentally; to do in passing带 = dài
- 绷带bēng dàibandage带 = dài
- 胶带jiāo dàiadhesive tape带 = dài
- 脐带qí dàiumbilical cord带 = dài
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 带 mean?
带 (dài) means a belt or band; a zone or strip; to carry or bring something along; to lead or take someone with you.
How do you pronounce 带?
It is pronounced dài.
What parts is 带 made of?
卅 (thirty; here just the shape of three uprights crossing one bar) and 冖 (cover) and 巾 (cloth). The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（比对 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺：上部 4 笔为卅形，中部 2 笔为冖，下部 3 笔为巾）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 带 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 带?
巾. 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 带?
Common ones are 皮带 and 带来. The reading of 带 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.