贪 (tān) is a Chinese character meaning “greedy”. It is written from 今 (now; the present) and 贝 (shell), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “greedy”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
今 + 贝
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：貪，欲物也。从貝今聲；并与 hanzi-writer-data 现代字形核验（第 1–4 笔为 今，第 5–8 笔为 贝）
Memory aid
Right now (今) you want that money (贝) — and then more of it. Both parts really are in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 贪心tān xīngreedy; greed贪 = tān
- 贪吃tān chīgluttonous; greedy for food贪 = tān
- 贪婪tān lángreedy; avaricious贪 = tān
Go deeper
All readings
greedy
greedy; to crave; to have an insatiable desire for
不知足，总想得到更多；特别想要某样东西。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 贪心tān xīngreedy; greed贪 = tān
- 贪吃tān chīgluttonous; greedy for food贪 = tān
- 贪婪tān lángreedy; avaricious贪 = tān
Sound component
今 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 贪 mean?
贪 (tān) means greedy; to crave; to have an insatiable desire for.
How do you pronounce 贪?
It is pronounced tān.
What parts is 贪 made of?
今 (now; the present) and 贝 (shell), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：貪，欲物也。从貝今聲；并与 hanzi-writer-data 现代字形核验（第 1–4 笔为 今，第 5–8 笔为 贝）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 贪 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 贪?
贝. 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 贪?
Common ones are 贪心 and 贪吃. The reading of 贪 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.