旦 (dàn) is a Chinese character meaning “dawn”. It is written from 日 (sun; day) and 一 (one), one above the other, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “dawn”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
日 + 一
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：旦，明也。从日見一上。一，地也。现代字形经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（日 4 + 一 1 = 5）
Memory aid
The sun (日) sitting on a single flat line (一) — the horizon. Both parts are really in this character: the moment the sun clears the ground is daybreak.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 元旦yuán dànNew Year's Day (January 1)旦 = dàn
- 一旦yí dànonce; in case; if one day旦 = dàn
Go deeper
All readings
dawn
dawn; daybreak; morning; (by extension) a day
天刚亮的时候；早晨。引申指某一天。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 元旦yuán dànNew Year's Day (January 1)旦 = dàn
- 一旦yí dànonce; in case; if one day旦 = dàn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 旦 mean?
旦 (dàn) means dawn; daybreak; morning; (by extension) a day.
How do you pronounce 旦?
It is pronounced dàn.
What parts is 旦 made of?
日 (sun; day) and 一 (one), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：旦，明也。从日見一上。一，地也。现代字形经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（日 4 + 一 1 = 5）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 旦 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 旦?
日. 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 旦?
Common ones are 元旦 and 一旦. The reading of 旦 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.