胆 (dǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “gall bladder”. It is written from 月 (moon; month) and 旦 (daybreak; dawn (the sun 日 above the horizon line 一)), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “gall bladder; courage”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
月 + 旦
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔顺核验：月 4 画 + 旦 5 画 = 9 画）
Memory aid
The left 月 is the body-part radical, so this is an organ. The right 旦 is daybreak — and it also hands you the sound: dàn → dǎn. An organ that decides whether you dare to face the dawn: the gall bladder, where Chinese puts your courage.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 大胆dà dǎnbold; daring胆 = dǎn
- 胆小dǎn xiǎotimid; easily frightened胆 = dǎnspoken asdán xiǎo
- 胆怯dǎn qiètimid; cowardly; to lose one's nerve胆 = dǎn
Go deeper
All readings
gall bladder; courage
gall bladder; courage, nerve, guts
胆囊，人和动物的消化器官之一；也指勇气、胆量。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 大胆dà dǎnbold; daring胆 = dǎn
- 胆小dǎn xiǎotimid; easily frightened胆 = dǎnspoken asdán xiǎo
- 胆怯dǎn qiètimid; cowardly; to lose one's nerve胆 = dǎn
Sound component
旦 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 胆 mean?
胆 (dǎn) means gall bladder; courage, nerve, guts.
How do you pronounce 胆?
It is pronounced dǎn.
What parts is 胆 made of?
月 (moon; month) and 旦 (daybreak; dawn (the sun 日 above the horizon line 一)), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔顺核验：月 4 画 + 旦 5 画 = 9 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 胆 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 胆?
月. 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 胆?
Common ones are 大胆 and 胆小. The reading of 胆 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.