丹

See also: 丼 and 开

丹 U+4E39, 丹 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4E39 ← 丸 [U+4E38] CJK Unified Ideographs 为 → [U+4E3A]

丹 U+F95E, 丹 CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-F95E ← 諾 [U+F95D] CJK Compatibility Ideographs 寧 → [U+F95F]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

丹 (Kangxi radical 3, 丶+3, 4 strokes, cangjie input 月卜 (BY), four-corner 7744₀, composition ⿻⺆亠 or ⿻⺆⿱丶一)

Derived characters

• 坍
• 青

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 80, character 16
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 99
• Dae Jaweon: page 162, character 22
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 44, character 1
• Unihan data for U+4E39

• Unihan data for U+F95E

Chinese

simp. and trad.		丹
alternative forms		𠂁 𠁿 𠕑 𢒈 㣋 𠂁 𠁿 𠕑 𢒈 㣋 㐤 𮯱

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 丹
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts
Oracle bone script j12547 j12548 j12549 Bronze inscriptions b07719 Small seal script s03655 Transcribed ancient scripts L06505 L06506 L06507 L06508 L06509 L06510 L06511 L06512 L06513
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Characters in the same phonetic series (丹) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
丹	*taːn
旃	*tjan
栴	*tjan

Pictogram (象形) of a well or mine with cinnabar inside. It can also indicate "red cinnabar" used in dyeing clothes (e.g., 彤). The original version is 𠂁. See also the bottom part of 青 (< 𤯞).

Etymology 1

Schuessler (2007) suggests a Kam-Tai origin, comparing it to Proto-Kam-Sui *h-lanꟲ (“red”). 矸, as in 丹矸, may be a variant; see there for more.

Alternatively, it may be from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *t(j)a-n ~ *tsa-n (“red”), whence Burmese တာ (ta, “very red”) (Matisoff, 2003; Hill, 2014); however, STEDT currently does not compare this to 丹.

Possibly related to 旃 (OC *tjan, “a plain red flag”), as well as 袒 (OC *daːnʔ, “to bare; to strip oneself naked to the waist”), as skin color is often associated with "red". See these entries for more.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): dān (dan¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄉㄢ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): daan¹

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): an¹ / an^1*

• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): tân

  (Hailu, HRS): dan^ˋ

• Northern Min (KCR): dúing
• Eastern Min (BUC): dăng
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): dang¹
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): tan

  (Teochew, Peng'im): dang¹ / duan¹

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹te

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: dān
    • Zhuyin: ㄉㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: dan
    • Wade–Giles: tan¹
    • Yale: dān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: dan
    • Palladius: дань (danʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tän⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: daan¹
    • Yale: dāan
    • Cantonese Pinyin: daan¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: dan¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /taːn⁵⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: an¹ / an^1*
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /an³³/, /an³³⁻³³⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: tân
    • Hakka Romanization System: dan^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: dan¹
    • Sinological IPA: /tan²⁴/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: dan^ˋ
    • Sinological IPA: /tan⁵³/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: dúing
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tuiŋ⁵⁴/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: dăng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /taŋ⁵⁵/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: dang¹
    • Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: dang
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /taŋ⁵³³/
  • (Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: dang¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /taŋ⁵⁴⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tan
    • Tâi-lô: tan
    • Phofsit Daibuun: dafn
    • IPA (Xiamen): /tan⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /tan³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /tan⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /tan⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /tan⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: dang¹ / duan¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tang / tuaⁿ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /taŋ³³/, /tũã³³/

Note:

• dang1 - literary;
• duan1 - vernacular (limited, e.g. 牡丹).

• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹te
    • MiniDict: te^平
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹te
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /te⁵³/

---

• Middle Chinese: tan

Rime
Character	丹
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	端 (5)
Final (韻)	寒 (61)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	都寒切
Baxter	tan
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/tɑn/
Pan Wuyun	/tɑn/
Shao Rongfen	/tɑn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/tan/
Li Rong	/tɑn/
Wang Li	/tɑn/
Bernhard Karlgren	/tɑn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	dān
Expected Cantonese Reflex	daan1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*tˤan/

  (Zhengzhang): /*taːn/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	丹
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	dān
Middle Chinese	‹ tan ›
Old Chinese	/*tˁan/
English	cinnabar
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	丹
Reading #	1/1
No.	1980
Phonetic component	丹
Rime group	元
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	單
Old Chinese	/*taːn/

Definitions

丹

1. cinnabar
2. red
3. refined medical substance
4. a surname

Synonyms

• (red): See 紅 / 红
• (cinnabar):

edit

• 丹干
• 丹砂 (dānshā)
• 朱砂 (zhūshā)
• 汞沙
• 猩紅 / 猩红 (xīnghóng)
• 赤丹
• 辰砂 (chénshā)
• 銀朱 / 银朱 (yínzhū)

Compounds

• 一寸丹心
• 一片丹心
• 不丹 (Bùdān)
• 不丹王國 / 不丹王国 (Bùdān Wángguó)
• 丹丘
• 丹佛 (Dānfó)
• 丹參 / 丹参 (dānshēn)
• 丹墀
• 丹客
• 丹山
• 丹川
• 丹干
• 丹徒布衣
• 丹心 (dānxīn)
• 丹心碧血
• 丹忱 (dānchén)
• 丹房
• 丹方 (dānfāng)
• 丹旐
• 丹曦
• 丹書 / 丹书
• 丹書鐵券 / 丹书铁券 (dānshūtiěquàn)
• 丹書鐵契 / 丹书铁契
• 丹東 / 丹东 (Dāndōng)
• 丹桂 (dānguì)
• 丹楓 / 丹枫 (dānfēng)
• 丹楹刻桷
• 丹款
• 丹毒 (dāndú)
• 丹氣 / 丹气
• 丹江口 (Dānjiāngkǒu)
• 丹溜
• 丹灶
• 丹珠爾 / 丹珠尔
• 丹甑
• 丹田 (dāntián)
• 丹皮
• 丹砂 (dānshā)
• 丹砂井
• 丹禁
• 丹穴
• 丹筆 / 丹笔
• 丹經 / 丹经
• 丹脣 / 丹唇
• 丹脣啟秀 / 丹唇启秀
• 丹臺 / 丹台
• 丹荑
• 丹葩
• 丹藥 / 丹药
• 丹衷
• 丹訣 / 丹诀
• 丹詔 / 丹诏
• 丹誠 / 丹诚 (dānchéng)
• 丹誠不泯 / 丹诚不泯
• 丹誠相許 / 丹诚相许
• 丹趙路 / 丹赵路 (Dānzhàolù)
• 丹輪 / 丹轮
• 丹鉛 / 丹铅
• 丹闕 / 丹阙 (dānquè)
• 丹陛 (dānbì)
• 丹陽 / 丹阳 (dānyáng)
• 丹雘
• 丹霄
• 丹霞 (dānxiá)
• 丹青 (dānqīng)
• 丹青妙手
• 丹青手
• 丹頂鶴 / 丹顶鹤 (dāndǐnghè)
• 丹頭 / 丹头
• 丹魄 (dānpò)
• 丹鳥 / 丹鸟
• 丹鳳 / 丹凤 (dānfèng)
• 丹鳳城 / 丹凤城
• 丹鳳眼 / 丹凤眼 (dānfèngyǎn)
• 丹麥 / 丹麦 (Dānmài)
• 丹麥人 / 丹麦人 (dānmàirén)
• 丹麥學派 / 丹麦学派
• 丹麥王國 / 丹麦王国 (Dānmài Wángguó)
• 丹麥語 / 丹麦语 (Dānmàiyǔ)
• 丹黃 / 丹黄
• 丹鼎
• 九轉丹 / 九转丹
• 九轉金丹 / 九转金丹
• 九還丹 / 九还丹
• 仁丹 (réndān)
• 仙丹 (xiāndān)
• 內丹 / 内丹
• 內丹功 / 内丹功
• 八卦丹
• 加里曼丹 (Jiālǐmàndān)
• 壽丹 / 寿丹
• 外丹
• 外丹功
• 大丹狗
• 契丹 (Qìdān)
• 好丹非素
• 妙手丹青
• 定坤丹 (dìngkūn dān)
• 山丹 (shāndān)
• 巴丹半島 / 巴丹半岛 (Bādān Bàndǎo)
• 施丹傅粉
• 書丹 / 书丹 (shūdān)
• 朱丹
• 松葉牡丹 / 松叶牡丹
• 楓丹白露 / 枫丹白露 (Fēngdānbáilù)
• 氯丹 (lǜdān)
• 水丹
• 浮翠流丹
• 渥丹
• 煉丹 / 炼丹 (liàndān)
• 煉丹術 / 炼丹术 (liàndānshù)
• 燕丹
• 燒丹鍊汞 / 烧丹炼汞
• 燕太子丹
• 牡丹 (mǔdān)
• 牡丹亭
• 牡丹江 (Mǔdānjiāng)
• 牡丹花
• 白牡丹 (báimǔdān)
• 眉橫丹鳳 / 眉横丹凤
• 碧血丹心
• 視丹如綠 / 视丹如绿
• 萬丹 / 万丹 (Wàndān)
• 萬靈丹 / 万灵丹 (wànlíngdān)
• 秋牡丹
• 紅毛丹 / 红毛丹 (hóngmáodān)
• 蔻丹 (kòudān)
• 蘇丹 / 苏丹 (sūdān)
• 赤血丹心
• 還丹 / 还丹
• 野牡丹
• 金丹 (jīndān)
• 鉛丹 / 铅丹
• 鍊丹 / 炼丹 (liàndān)
• 阿姆斯特丹 (Āmǔsītèdān)
• 阿巴丹
• 陰丹士林 / 阴丹士林 (yīndānshìlín)
• 陰丹布 / 阴丹布
• 雅丹 (yǎdān)
• 靈丹 / 灵丹 (língdān)
• 靈丹妙藥 / 灵丹妙药 (língdānmiàoyào)
• 靈丹聖藥 / 灵丹圣药 (língdānshèngyào)
• 靈寶護心丹 / 灵宝护心丹
• 青丹
• 馬纓丹 / 马缨丹
• 鹿特丹 (Lùtèdān)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Dān (Dan¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄉㄢ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): daan¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Dān
    • Zhuyin: ㄉㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Dan
    • Wade–Giles: Tan¹
    • Yale: Dān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Dan
    • Palladius: Дань (Danʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tän⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: daan¹
    • Yale: dāan
    • Cantonese Pinyin: daan¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: dan¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /taːn⁵⁵/

Definitions

丹

1. (Catholicism) Dan

Synonyms

Terms for Dan in different branches of Christianity

Branch	Words edit
Protestant	但
Roman Catholic	丹

References

• “丹”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Japanese

Kanji

丹

(Jōyō kanji)

1. cinnabar
2. red
3. elixir made with cinnabar (e.g. Chinese elixir of life)
4. improvised medicine
5. devotion
6. Short for 丹波国 (Tanba-koku, “Tanba Province”)

Readings

• Go-on: たん (tan, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: たん (tan, Jōyō)
• Kun: あか (aka, 丹)、あかい (akai, 丹い)、に (ni, 丹)
• Nanori: あかし (akashi)、あきら (akira)、まこと (makoto)

Compounds

• 丹(たん)桂(けい) (tankei): golden osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans)
• 丹(たん)花(か) (tanka)
• 丹(たん)後(ご) (Tango)
• 丹(たん)砂(さ) (tansa), 丹(たん)砂(しゃ) (tansha)
• 丹(たん)朱(しゅ) (tanshu)
• 丹(たん)州(しゅう) (Tanshū)
• 丹(たん)精(せい), 丹(たん)誠(せい) (tansei)
• 丹(たん)青(せい) (tansei)
• 丹(たん)前(ぜん) (tanzen)
• 丹(タン)頂(チョウ) (tanchō)
• 丹(たん)田(でん) (tanden)
• 丹(たん)毒(どく) (tandoku)
• 丹(たん)念(ねん) (tannen)
• 丹(たん)波(ば) (Tanba)
• 丹(たん)碧(ぺき) (tanpeki)
• 丹(たん)薬(やく) (tan'yaku)
• 黄(おう)丹(たん) (ōtan), 黄(おう)丹(だん) (ōdan)
• 仙(せん)丹(たん) (sentan)
• 曽(そ)丹(たん)集(しゅう) (Sotan-shū)
• 反(はん)魂(ごん)丹(たん) (hangontan)
• 牡(ボ)丹(タン) (botan)
• 万(まん)金(きん)丹(たん) (mankintan)
• 練(れん)丹(たん), 煉(れん)丹(たん) (rentan)
• 雲(う)丹(に) (uni)
• 甲(カ)比(ピ)丹(タン), 甲(カ)必(ピ)丹(タン) (kapitan)
• 吉(キ)利(リ)支(シ)丹(タン), 切(キリ)支(シ)丹(タン) (Kirishitan)
• 牡(ぼ)丹(た)餅(もち) (botamochi)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
丹
に Grade: S
kun'yomi

From Old Japanese, also used as 借音 (shakuon) kana for ⟨ni⟩.

Cognate with 土 (ni, “earth, ground”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) に [níꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ɲ̟i]

Noun

丹(に) • (ni) 

1. the color red

   Synonyms: 赤色 (akairo), 丹色 (niiro)

2. red earth

Derived terms

• 丹(に)石(いし) (nīshi)
• 丹(に)色(いろ) (nīro)
• 丹(に)生(う) (niu), 丹生(にゅう) (nyū)
• 錦(にしき) (nishiki)
• 丹(に)摺(ず)り (nizuri)
• 丹(に)躑躅(つつじ) (ni-tsutsuji)
• 丹(に)つらう (nitsurau)
• 丹(に)塗(ぬり), 丹(に)塗(ぬ)り (ninuri)
• 丹(に)の穂(ほ) (ni no ho)
• 丹(に)羽(わ) (Niwa)
• 青(あお)丹(に) (aoni)
• 赤(あか)丹(に) (akani)
• 黄(おう)丹(に) (ōni)
• さ丹(に) (sani)
• 紅(べに) (beni)
• 八(や)百(お)丹(に) (yao ni)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
丹
たん Grade: S
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 丹 (MC tan).

Used in the Man'yōshū (c. 759 CE) as 借音 (shakuon) kana for ⟨ta⟩.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) たん [táꜜǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [tã̠ɴ]

Noun

丹(たん) • (tan) 

1. cinnabar

   Synonym: 辰砂 (shinsha)

2. a yellowish-red pigment made from lead oxide, used, for example, in nihonga
3. medicine, especially one for inducing immortality

   Synonym: 薬 (yaku)

4. a yellow-red color, as of cinnabar

Derived terms

• 丹(たん)緑(ろく)本(ぼん) (Tanrokubon), 丹(たん)緑(りょく)本(ぼん) (Tanryokubon)

Proper noun

丹(たん) • (Tan) 

1. a surname

Korean

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese 丹 (MC tan).

Hanja

丹 (eumhun 붉을 단 (bulgeul dan))

1. hanja form^? of 단 (“red”)

Compounds

• 단풍 (丹楓, danpung, “maple; autumn leaves”)
• 단념 (丹念, dannyeom, “assiduity; diligence; application”)

Etymology 2

Hanja

丹 (eumhun 정성스러울 란 (jeongseongseureoul ran), word-initial (South Korea) 정성스러울 난 (jeongseongseureoul nan))

1. hanja form^? of 란 (“devotion”)

Compounds

• 모란 (牡丹, moran, “peony”)
• 거란 (契丹, Georan, “the Khitans”)

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [2]
• Naver Hanja Dictionary: 丹

Vietnamese

Han character

丹: Hán Việt readings: đan (都(đô)艱(gian)切(thiết)), đơn
丹: Nôm readings: đơn, đan

1. chữ Hán form of đan/đơn (“cinnabar”).
2. chữ Hán form of đan/đơn (“red color”).

Compounds

• 丹麥 (Đan Mạch)
• 牡丹 (mẫu đơn)