炭 (tàn) is a Chinese character meaning “charcoal”. It is written from 山 (mountain) and 灰 (ash; gray), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “charcoal”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
山 + 灰
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-2 山 / 3-8 灰）
Memory aid
A mountain (山) of wood burns down until only ash (灰) is left — and what you rake out of that ash is charcoal.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 木炭mù tàncharcoal炭 = tàn
- 炭火tàn huǒcharcoal fire炭 = tàn
Go deeper
All readings
charcoal
charcoal; the black fuel left when wood is burnt slowly without air; also used for coal
木材等在隔绝空气的条件下烧成的黑色燃料；也指煤。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 木炭mù tàncharcoal炭 = tàn
- 炭火tàn huǒcharcoal fire炭 = tàn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 炭 mean?
炭 (tàn) means charcoal; the black fuel left when wood is burnt slowly without air; also used for coal.
How do you pronounce 炭?
It is pronounced tàn.
What parts is 炭 made of?
山 (mountain) and 灰 (ash; gray), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代简化字形拆分（hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：0-2 山 / 3-8 灰）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 炭 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 炭?
火. 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 炭?
Common ones are 木炭 and 炭火. The reading of 炭 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.