Chinese words starting with “dan”
36 words in our HSK vocabulary start with the syllable dan. They are sorted by how common they are, so the ones you are most likely to meet come first. The 4 most useful of them have their own page — they are listed first below.
Initial d · final an · hear the four tones and see example characters →
- 1st tone 18
- 3rd tone 5
- 4th tone 13
Word counts by tone are counted on the first syllable of each word.
Common words with this syllable
- 但是dàn shìHSK 2
but; however
- 担心dān xīnHSK 4
anxious; worried; uneasy; to worry; to be anxious
- 单位dān wèiHSK 2
unit (of measure); unit (group of people as a whole); work unit (place of employment, esp. in the PRC prior to economic reform)
- 单元dān yuánHSK 3
unit (forming an entity); element; (in a residential building) entrance or staircase
All 36 words
| # | Word | Pinyin | POS | Meaning | Study list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 但 | dàn | c,d | but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just | |
| 2 | 单 | dān | d,b,g | bill; list; form; single; only; sole; odd number | |
| 3 | 蛋 | dàn | n | egg; oval-shaped thing | |
| 4 | 弹 | dàn | v,g,vn | crossball; bullet; shot; shell; ball | |
| 5 | 蛋糕 | dàn gāo | n | cake | |
| 6 | 单身 | dān shēn | n | unmarried; single | |
| 7 | 单独 | dān dú | d,b | alone; by oneself; on one's own | |
| 8 | 担任 | dān rèn | v | to hold a governmental office or post; to assume office of; to take charge of; to serve as | |
| 9 | 单纯 | dān chún | a,ad | simple; pure; unsophisticated; merely; purely | |
| 10 | 淡 | dàn | a,g | insipid; diluted; weak; mild; light in color; tasteless; indifferent; (variant of 氮) nitrogen | |
| 11 | 诞生 | dàn shēng | v,vn | to be born | |
| 12 | 担保 | dān bǎo | vn,v | to guarantee; to vouch for | |
| 13 | 担 | dān | v,q,g | to undertake; to carry; to shoulder; to take responsibility | |
| 14 | 但愿 | dàn yuàn | v | if only (sth were possible); I wish (that) | |
| 15 | 胆 | dǎn | n | gall bladder; courage; guts; gall; inner container (e.g. bladder of a football, inner container of a thermos) | |
| 16 | 担忧 | dān yōu | v,vn | to worry; to be concerned | |
| 17 | 蛋白质 | dàn bái zhì | n | protein | |
| 18 | 耽误 | dān wu | v | to delay; to hold up; to waste time; to interfere with | |
| 19 | 胆子 | dǎn zi | n | courage; nerve; guts | |
| 20 | 单一 | dān yī | a | single; only; sole | |
| 21 | 担当 | dān dāng | v | to take upon oneself; to assume | |
| 22 | 胆小 | dǎn xiǎo | a | cowardice; timid | |
| 23 | 单调 | dān diào | a,an | monotonous | |
| 24 | 耽搁 | dān ge | v | to tarry; to delay; to stop over | |
| 25 | 担负 | dān fù | v | to shoulder; to bear; to undertake | |
| 26 | 单打 | dān dǎ | n | singles (in sports) | |
| 27 | 胆怯 | dǎn qiè | a,an | timidity; timid; cowardly | |
| 28 | 淡水 | dàn shuǐ | n | potable water (water with low salt content); fresh water | |
| 29 | 担子 | dàn zi | n | carrying pole and the loads on it; burden; task; responsibility | |
| 30 | 单方面 | dān fāng miàn | d,n,b | unilateral | |
| 31 | 淡化 | dàn huà | v | to water down; to play down; to trivialize; to weaken; to become dull with time; to desalinate; desalination | |
| 32 | 单薄 | dān bó | a | weak; frail; thin; flimsy | |
| 33 | 胆小鬼 | dǎn xiǎo guǐ | n | coward | |
| 34 | 淡季 | dàn jì | t,n | off season; slow business season; see also 季 | |
| 35 | 诞辰 | dàn chén | n | birthday | |
| 36 | 单边 | dān biān | b,d | unilateral |
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