单

单 · dān

single, individual, only; lone

Entry ↗

Meanings & readings

Meaning & readings

single, individual, only; lone

Mandarin
dān
Cantonese
daan1

Unihan definitions and selected character readings. Read the word to establish its pronunciation in context.

Form & structure

Writing & identity

Unicode
U+5355
Radical
十 · 24
Strokes
8 · Unihan
Residual
6

Source record · Unihan 17.0. Individual senses and historical claims have not yet been reviewed by zimai.

Stroke order

8 strokes
单
Strokes
8
Convention
PRC · Make Me a Hanzi

8 strokes in writing order. Play to watch them, or Step through one at a time.

Modern stroke order; regional conventions can differ. Stroke medians: Make Me a Hanzi via HanziLookupJS, drawn as an even pen line.

Graphical structure

⿱丷⿻甲一(GT)
How to read these symbols

⿰ left–right · ⿱ above–below · ⿻ overlap. Dotted boxes indicate positions, not missing characters. Each symbol describes the components that follow it; nested symbols describe a component in more detail. Source codes identify alternative analyses, not a writing sequence or an etymology.

BabelStone IDS · 2025-06-27. Region tags are preserved; 〾 marks approximation and {n} identifies an unencoded source component. These describe graphical structure, not historical derivation.

Words & connections

Words using 单

Character connections

12 catalogue records include this shape in their first retained IDS. Graphical containment does not imply shared etymology.

History & distinctions

Related forms

單

Unihan traditional/simplified variant properties. Conversion may depend on context.

Sources & reference

Evidence & next depth

Source editions & exact scope ↗
Retained Unihan properties
kMandarin
dān
kCantonese
daan1
kDefinition
single, individual, only; lone
kTotalStrokes
8
kRSUnicode
24.6
kTraditionalVariant
U+5355 U+55AE
kSimplifiedVariant
U+5355
kTGH
2013:1232

Readings across dictionaries

Xiandai Hanyu · 1983
chán 0117.100 · dān 0207.100 · shàn 0999.090
Tongyong Guifan · 2013
chán 036.140 · dān 064.090 · shàn 325.010
Small numbers locate dictionary entries; 粵 introduces Cantonese. Includes rare or historical readings. Source notation ↗

Reference desk

Sentences in context

Find examples using 单 ↗

The attributed sentence collection is still small; this spelling has no retained example yet.

Study this character

Structure & connections

0.10
316dictionary records using 单20forms using this shape0attributed sound links
⿱ Above / below
⿻ Overlaid

Shape description
丷 above (甲 overlaps 一) · the shape used in China, Taiwan
Source notation ^⿱丷⿻甲一$(GT)
BabelStone · 2025-06-27. Encoded shape and region tags; graphical analysis does not establish historical function.

Decompose & trace ↗Browse all 316 word records ↗Explore sound families ↗Component search ↗
Retained descriptions & scope

^⿱丷⿻甲一$(GT)

All alternatives are retained. Only the first description drives component search and graphical links. Counts describe this snapshot, not frequency. Evidence and method.