Kanji Kaisen

漢字Kanji · in Nature & Elements

壇: podium, stage

Also: rostrum, terrace

JLPT N116 strokesSecondary schoolYour ink: 白 Not met

土 carries the meaning · 亶 gives the sound

16 strokes

Two readings, and the words that use each

ダンdan · on'yomi · in compounds

  • 壇だんplatform; podium; rostrum
  • 壇上だんじょうon a stage; on a platform; on an altar
  • 演壇えんだんrostrum; platform
  • 教壇きょうだん(teacher's) platform; podium; dais
  • 祭壇さいだんaltar
  • 仏壇ぶつだん
  • 文壇ぶんだんliterary world; literary circles

タンtan · on'yomi

  • 土壇場どたんばlast moment; eleventh hour

Words: JMdict, EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Learn it 4 steps
Print sheet Present
成り立ち

Where it comes from

Memory story · made up to help you remember

“Imagine a cross planted firmly in the ground—that's 土! It shows a stake or a seedling marking the earth, reminding us of farming, construction, and the solid foundation upon which we build our lives and cities.”
More in the 土 earth story
繋がり
Ink shades, lightest to darkest: 白 Not met, 淡 Met, 中 Learning, 濃 Familiar, 印 Mastered
土

Also built on earth (土)

All 61
亶

Also built on 亶

Also read ダン

11 kanji share this on'yomi

Also read タン

22 kanji share this on'yomiAll 22

Easy to confuse

The difference, side by side
壇 podium · 土
vs檀 cedar · 木
壇 has 土 where 檀 has 木.
In ChineseSimplified 坛 · traditional, as in Japanese · tán

Japan keeps the traditional form 壇; mainland China simplifies it to 坛.

Simplified
坛 mainland China, Singapore
Traditional
壇 Taiwan, Hong Kong

Pinyin tán most common reading

Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.

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