淀 (diàn) is a Chinese character meaning “sediment”. It is written from 氵 (water (left-side form)) and 定 (settled; fixed), side by side, and takes 11 strokes.
Build the character for “sediment; to settle”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
氵 + 定
Left–right structure
Structure from: makemeahanzi decomposition ⿰氵定 (semantic 氵, phonetic 定) + cjkvi-ids U+6DC0 ⿰氵定; modern form checked against hanzi-writer-data strokes 0–2 氵, 3–10 定
Memory aid
Let water (氵) stay settled (定) and the mud sinks to the bottom — 淀 is the sediment left behind.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
11 strokes
In real words
- 沉淀chén diànsediment; to settle to the bottom; to precipitate淀 = diàn
- 淀粉diàn fěnstarch淀 = diàn
Go deeper
All readings
sediment; to settle
sediment; to settle and deposit; shallow lake; used in 淀粉 (starch)
液体中沉下的渣滓；沉积。也指浅的湖泊，如「白洋淀」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 沉淀chén diànsediment; to settle to the bottom; to precipitate淀 = diàn
- 淀粉diàn fěnstarch淀 = diàn
Sound component
定 family
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 淀 mean?
淀 (diàn) means sediment; to settle and deposit; shallow lake; used in 淀粉 (starch).
How do you pronounce 淀?
It is pronounced diàn.
What parts is 淀 made of?
氵 (water (left-side form)) and 定 (settled; fixed), side by side. The recorded source is: makemeahanzi decomposition ⿰氵定 (semantic 氵, phonetic 定) + cjkvi-ids U+6DC0 ⿰氵定; modern form checked against hanzi-writer-data strokes 0–2 氵, 3–10 定. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 淀 have?
11. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 淀?
氵. 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 淀?
Common ones are 沉淀 and 淀粉. The reading of 淀 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.