Dictionary › 弹

弹

dàn

HSK 4 Character Traditional 彈

What 弹 means

1. crossball
2. bullet
3. shot
4. shell
5. ball

Other readings

弹 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• tánto pluck (a string); to play (a string instrument); to spring or leap

Example sentences

• 散弹枪！
  Shotgun!
• 我弹钢琴。
  I play the piano.
• 俺不弹钢琴。
  ǎn bù tán gāngqín.
  I don't play the piano.
• 我在弹肖邦。
  Wǒ zài tán Xiāobāng.
  I am playing Chopin.
• 我会弹萧邦。
  Wǒ huì tán Xiāobāng.
  I can play Chopin.
• 我会弹钢琴。
  I can play piano.

Words starting with 弹

• 弹性tán xìngflexibility; elasticity
• 弹琴tán qínto play or strum a lute or other stringed instrument
• 弹出tán chūto eject; to exit from; to pop up
• 弹药dàn yàoammunition
• 弹奏tán zòuto play (musical instrument, esp. string)
• 弹簧tán huángspring
• 弹子dàn zislingshot pellet; playing marbles; billiards
• 弹唱tán chàngto sing and play (plucked string instrument)
• 弹弓dàn gōngcatapult; slingshot
• 弹词tán cíballad tune in southern dialects, usually to sanxian 三弦 or pipa 琵琶 accompaniment
• 弹跳tán tiàoto bounce; to jump; to leap
• 弹劾tán héto impeach (an official)
• 弹指tán zhǐto snap one's fingers; (fig.) in a flash; in an instant
• 弹头dàn tóuwarhead
• 弹力tán lìelasticity; elastic force; spring
• 弹片dàn piànshrapnel; shell fragment
• 弹道导弹dàn dào dǎo dànballistic missile
• 弹回tán huíto rebound
• 弹压tán yāto suppress; to quell (a disturbance); repression
• 弹射tán shèto catapult; to launch; to eject (from a plane)
• 弹牙tán yáal dente
• 弹球tán qiúto play marbles
• 弹花tán huāto soften cotton fiber by fluffing
• 弹道dàn dàotrajectory (of a projectile); ballistic curve

Words containing 弹

• 子弹zǐ dànbullet
• 导弹dǎo dàn(guided) missile
• 炸弹zhà dànbomb
• 反弹fǎn tánto bounce; to bounce back; to boomerang
• 动弹dòng tanto budge
• 原子弹yuán zǐ dànatomic bomb; A-bomb
• 炮弹pào dànartillery shell
• 手榴弹shǒu liú dànhand grenade
• 中弹zhòng dànto get hit by a bullet; to get shot
• 飞弹fēi dàn(Taiwan) missile; stray bullet
• 评弹píng tánpingtan, a traditional Suzhou narrative art that combines storytelling and ballad…
• 枪弹qiāng dànbullet
• 定时炸弹dìng shí zhà dàntime bomb
• 核弹hé dànnuclear bomb
• 荷枪实弹hè qiāng shí dàn(idiom) armed; carrying a loaded firearm
• 防弹fáng dànbulletproof
• 实弹shí dànlive ammunition
• 氢弹qīng dànH-bomb; hydrogen bomb
• 卡弹kǎ dànto jam (rifle)
• 回弹huí tán(of sth that has been deformed) to spring back to original shape; (fig.) to rebound…
• 小弹xiǎo dànbomblet (of cluster bomb)
• 投弹tóu dànto throw an explosive charge; to bomb
• 散弹sǎn dànshot (for a shotgun); canister shot
• 母弹mǔ dànparent shell (of a cluster bomb)

Characters built on 单

These share the phonetic component 单 (dān), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 阐chǎnto express; to disclose; to enlighten
• 禅chándhyana (Sanskrit); Zen; meditation (Buddhism)
• 惮dàndread; fear; dislike
• 掸dǎnto brush away; to dust off; brush
• 蝉cháncicada
• 郸dānused in place names 邯郸
• 殚dānentirely; to exhaust
• 婵chánused in 婵娟

Characters that look like 弹

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 维wéito preserve; to maintain; to hold together
• 稀xīsparse; scattered; rare; uncommon; diluted; thin; watery
• 惮dàndread; fear; dislike
• 掸dǎnto brush away; to dust off; brush
• 殚dānentirely; to exhaust
• 焯chāoto blanch; to parboil

Sounds the same

Read dàn, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 但but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just
• 蛋egg; oval-shaped thing
• 旦(literary) dawn; daybreak; dan, female role in Chinese opera…
• 淡insipid; diluted; weak
• 诞birth; birthday; brag
• 惮dread; fear; dislike
• 担picul (100 catties, 50 kg); two buckets full; carrying pole and its load
• 氮nitrogen (chemistry)
• 澹tranquil; placid; quiet
• 石dry measure for grain equal to ten dou 斗; ancient pr. shí
• 啖to eat; to taste; to entice (using bait)
• 萏lotus