漢字Kanji · in Communication & Thought
単: simple, one
Also: single, merely
⺍ and 甲 are drawn in
One reading, and the words that use it
タンtan · on'yomi · in compounds
- 簡単なかんたんなsimple
- 単純なたんじゅんなsimple
- 単語たんごword
- 単独たんどくsolo
- 単位たんいunit
- 単にたんにmerely
Also read ひとえ, with no example words in our sources. Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.
Where it comes from
Origin · sourced
Pictogram (象形)
Pictogram (象形) of a war or hunting weapon, a Y-shaped wooden stick with two stones attached on top. The component in the middle in some oracle bones was a huge point which represented a rope around the stick; perhaps, this weapon was used as a spear and then retrieved through this rope.
Source: Wiktionary, 單 (rev. 93526781), CC BY-SA 4.0
Memory story · made up to help you remember
“Tsu crown (⺍) + a field + a box. Originally suggested a "single" weapon or tool with multiple points, now used for things that are "simple" or "individual."”
Connections
Also built on armor (甲)
Easy to confuse
The difference, side by sideIn ChineseSimplified 单 · traditional 單 · dān
Three different forms: Japanese 単, simplified 单, traditional 單.
- Simplified
- 单 mainland China, Singapore
- Traditional
- 單 Taiwan, Hong Kong
Pinyin dān most common reading
Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.