掂 (diān) is a Chinese character meaning “to weigh something in the hand”. It is written from 扌 (hand (radical form)) and 店 (shop; store), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “to weigh in the hand”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
扌 + 店
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰扌店；笔画核验 扌3 + 店8 = 11）
Memory aid
In the shop (店) you pick an item up in your hand (扌) and bounce it gently to feel how heavy it is.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 掂量diān liangto weigh in the hand; to think over carefully掂 = diān
- 掂斤播两diān jīn bō liǎngto haggle over every ounce; to be petty and calculating掂 = diān
Go deeper
All readings
to weigh in the hand
to weigh something in the hand; to estimate the weight of
用手托着东西上下晃动来估量轻重。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 掂量diān liangto weigh in the hand; to think over carefully掂 = diān
- 掂斤播两diān jīn bō liǎngto haggle over every ounce; to be petty and calculating掂 = diān
Sound component
店 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 掂 mean?
掂 (diān) means to weigh something in the hand; to estimate the weight of.
How do you pronounce 掂?
It is pronounced diān.
What parts is 掂 made of?
扌 (hand (radical form)) and 店 (shop; store), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（IDS ⿰扌店；笔画核验 扌3 + 店8 = 11）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 掂 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 掂?
手. 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 掂?
Common ones are 掂量 and 掂斤播两. The reading of 掂 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.