歹 (dǎi) is a Chinese character meaning “bad”. It is written from 一 (one) and 夕 (evening), one above the other, and takes 4 strokes.
Build the character for “bad; evil”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
一 + 夕
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: data-pipeline/sources/dictionary.txt decomposition candidate, verified against hanzi-writer-data stroke paths for 歹 (4 strokes: stroke 0 = 一, strokes 1-3 = 夕), 一 (1) and 夕 (3)
Memory aid
Evening (夕) with one flat line (一) pressed down on top of it — the light is cut off before it can finish. 歹 is what has turned bad.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 歹徒dǎi túvillain; thug歹 = dǎi
- 好歹hǎo dǎigood and bad; whatever happens歹 = dǎispoken asháo dǎi
Go deeper
All readings
bad; evil
bad; evil; wicked — used in compounds, not on its own
坏；恶。多用于合成词，不单说。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 歹徒dǎi túvillain; thug歹 = dǎi
- 好歹hǎo dǎigood and bad; whatever happens歹 = dǎispoken asháo dǎi
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 歹 mean?
歹 (dǎi) means bad; evil; wicked — used in compounds, not on its own.
How do you pronounce 歹?
It is pronounced dǎi.
What parts is 歹 made of?
一 (one) and 夕 (evening), one above the other. The recorded source is: data-pipeline/sources/dictionary.txt decomposition candidate, verified against hanzi-writer-data stroke paths for 歹 (4 strokes: stroke 0 = 一, strokes 1-3 = 夕), 一 (1) and 夕 (3). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 歹 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 歹?
歹. 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 歹?
Common ones are 歹徒 and 好歹. The reading of 歹 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.