What does 但 mean in Chinese?

但 (dàn) means "but, yet" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 2.

How do you write 但?

但 is written with 7 strokes, starting from the 亻 (person) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 但?

The radical of 但 is 亻 (person, Kangxi radical #9). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 作, 保, 体, 信.

How many strokes does 但 have?

The Chinese character 但 has 7 strokes.

What HSK level is 但?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 但 is a character to recognise at HSK 2.

但 (dàn): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

但

dàn

but, yet

HSK 2 character 7 strokes Radical: 亻 (person)

Quick Answer

但 (dàn) means "but, yet" with 7 strokes, radical 亻 (person), HSK 2 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 但 →Animated stroke-order for 但 →

Pronunciation

dàn

Meaning

Primary: but

Other meanings:

Etymology

A person at dawn — but, however

Mnemonic hooks the visual decomposition to a memorable image. The full oracle-bone to modern evolution is being added character-by-character via the Phase 13 etymology pass.

Decomposition

但=亻radical+旦component

Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.

Basic info

Pinyin	dàn
Meanings	but, yet
Stroke count	7 strokes
Radical	亻 (#9: person)
New HSK exam	Recognise at HSK 2
Frequency	#324 most common

Example sentences

我想去，但是没时间。
Wǒ xiǎng qù, dànshì méi shíjiān.
I want to go, but I don't have time.
From 但是 (HSK 2)
他不但聪明，而且努力。
Tā bùdàn cōngming, érqiě nǔlì.
He is not only smart but also hardworking.
From 不但 (HSK 3)
但愿明天是个好天气。
Dànyuàn míngtiān shì gè hǎo tiānqì.
I hope tomorrow will be good weather.
From 但愿 (HSK 7-9)

Words containing 但

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
但是	dànshì	but	HSK 2
不但	bùdàn	not only (... but also...)	HSK 3
但	dàn	but, yet	HSK 2
但愿	dànyuàn	if only, I wish	HSK 7-9
非但	fēidàn	not only	HSK 7-9

Related characters

Don't confuse with

担

但 (dàn) ≠ 担 (dān), to carry

胆

但 (dàn) ≠ 胆 (dǎn), gall bladder

Share the 亻 (person) radical

作zuò 保体信xìn 化候住zhù 们men

See all characters with the 亻 radical →

Similar meaning (abstract)

不not 大big 公public 分to divide 对correct 定to decide 方direction 得to get

On the new HSK 2 exam

Studying for HSK 2? Keep 但 with the rest of your level.

HSK Lord schedules your reviews so each character comes back right before you would forget it. Free to start, and it picks up where you are.

Start studying free The words new HSK 2 adds

Frequently Asked Questions

Appears in these articles

Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.

但

dàn