担 (dān) is a Chinese character meaning “to carry on a shoulder pole”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 旦 (daybreak; dawn (the sun 日 above the horizon line 一)), side by side, and takes 8 strokes. It has a second reading, dàn, which turns up in 担子 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “to carry; to bear”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 旦
Left–right structure
- 扌 hand (radical form) · shǒu meaning
- 旦 daybreak; dawn (the sun 日 above the horizon line 一) · dàn sound
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰扌旦；笔画核验 扌3 + 旦5 = 8）
Memory aid
A hand (扌) picks up the load at daybreak (旦) — you shoulder it and carry it all day.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 担心dān xīnto worry; to feel anxious担 = dānHSK 2
- 负担fù dānburden; to bear (a cost or responsibility)担 = dān
- 担忧dān yōuto worry; to be concerned担 = dān
- 承担chéng dānto bear; to undertake (a responsibility)担 = dān
Go deeper
All readings
to carry; to bear
to carry on a shoulder pole; to take on; to bear (a responsibility or worry)
用肩膀挑；承受、负起（责任、忧虑）。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 担心dān xīnto worry; to feel anxious担 = dānHSK 2
- 负担fù dānburden; to bear (a cost or responsibility)担 = dān
- 担忧dān yōuto worry; to be concerned担 = dān
- 承担chéng dānto bear; to undertake (a responsibility)担 = dān
a load
a carrying-pole load; a burden; a picul (unit of weight)
扁担挑起的东西；重担；重量单位「担」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 担子dàn zia carrying-pole load; a burden of responsibility担 = dàn
Sound component
旦 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 担 mean?
担 (dān) means to carry on a shoulder pole; to take on; to bear (a responsibility or worry).
How do you pronounce 担?
Its main reading is dān. It also has a second reading, dàn, which only shows up in certain words such as 担子 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 担 sometimes pronounced dàn?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 担子 it is read dàn.
What parts is 担 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 旦 (daybreak; dawn (the sun 日 above the horizon line 一)), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰扌旦；笔画核验 扌3 + 旦5 = 8）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 担 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 担?
扌. 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 担?
Common ones are 担心 and 负担. The reading of 担 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.