Chinese Character Wiki
單

dān, shàn

single

Pictograph of a hunting or military trap constructed from two rocks and a net. The current meaning "single" is a phonetic loan.

Evolution

單 Oracle script (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle script

(~1250-1000 BC)
單 Bronze script Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze script

Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
單 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
單 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
單 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

单 (單) 

dān

single, individual, only; lone; bill; list; form; single; only; sole; odd number; CL:個|个[gè]

单 (單) 

Shàn

surname Shan

Most common words with 單
Freq.
Word
Meaning

简单

simple

单

bill

单位

unit (of measure)

名单

list (of names)

单独

alone

Component uses

Meaning component in 1 character (0 verified)

禪

Sound component in 13 characters (2 verified)

戰 彈 禪 闡 蟬 憚 嬋 鄲 撣 殫 簞 癉 嘽

Unknown component in 1 character (0 verified)

蘄

Historical pronunciation

Old Chinese

Middle Chinese

Pinyin

Gloss

*dar (< *[d]ar)

dzyen

chán

單于 chányú: Xiōngnú ruler (W. Hàn)

*Cə.tˤar

tan

dān

single, simple


Statistics

Not found in HSK word list

Appears in 84.9271% of movies

372nd most common character in movies

389th most common character in books

Miscellaneous

Strokes

12

Simplified

单

Unicode

U+55AE

Shuowen

“單，大也。从吅、，吅亦聲。闕。”


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